The Perfect Pearl
by Im-In-Way-2Many-Fandoms
Summary: In one of The Diamonds many attempts at creating The Perfect Pearl for the purpose of taking down the Crystal Gems, Freshwater is created. Freshwater, however, is far from perfect. In fact she is defective, knocking her lower on the Totem Pole. She only values herself when she is being used but maybe this will change when she meets a Pearl who sees things in a different light.
1. Defective?

"An off-color Pearl? What do you mean an Off-color Pearl?!"

These were the first words that the newly made gem heard as they groaned from the hard ground. Opening their eyes, they saw that they were in a cell of some sort, a yellow force of some kind separating them from two figures - a green gem with metallic arms and a much taller blue gem with piercing blue eyes.

"Pearls are common, easily made. Blue Diamond gave us a simple job. Make a Pearl that will serve all of the Diamo - oh my stars it's awake." the blue gem said. The newly made gem recognized the harsh voice as the one that had awoken her from her - sleep? Hibernation? They didn't know how to describe it. All they knew was that they had previously not existed, and now they did. Simple, yet complicated. Pushing themselves up to a sitting position, the gem just stared, having the feeling that they weren't welcome, and that they should listen to the pair.

"What are we supposed to do with it?" The green one said, stepping forward and staring down at the new gem as if it were the equivalent of a lump of dirt. "Well we certainly can't take it to the Diamonds. I mean just look at it." The blue one said, joining her companion and glaring down at the gem as well.

The gem in question awkwardly shifted under their gaze, scooting further back into their cell. The taller gem scowled and barked out a question that the newly-made thought that they would ask herself for the rest of her existence.

"What is your purpose?"

The question seemed to be straightforward, but honestly the newly-made didn't know the answer. Looking down at the floor they racked their brains. What was their purpose? They knew they were supposed to serve, but serve who? They prayed it wasn't the two intimidating gems in front of them. Looking up, they realized the two gems were waiting for an answer.

"T-To serve?" They paused for a moment before continuing. "I don't know who. I don't even know who you two are. Or who I am for that matter." They admitted softly, not meeting the pair's gaze. The blue gem groaned, putting her face In her hands. "It doesn't even recognize an Agate or a Peridot. How badly did you mess this up, Peridot?" She said, turning her fierce gaze to the green gem. Peridot glared back just as fiercely. "Hey it's not _my_ fault Earth has poor growing conditions!" she shot back. "You and I both know Homeworld is running out of valuable places." Looking down at the gem again she scoffed. "We're lucky we even got this one to form."

The newly-made continued to shift awkwardly under their fierce gazes, making a mental note that the blue figure was an Agate and the green one a Peridot. Whatever the hell that meant. "So, I ask again. What do we do with it?" Peridot said as the Agate let the force field down and stepped into the cell. The gem inside attempted to shrink back but was roughly grabbed by their shirt collar and pulled from the floor. "I say we shatter it." the Agate said, ignoring the gem's kicking and squirming. They didn't know what "shatter" meant, but for some reason they got a bad feeling out of it. "N-No please don't shatter me! I swear I'll do whatever you want." They pleaded, trying to squirm out of the Agate's grasp.

The gem barked a harsh laugh. "Believe me, what we wanted was far from what you can provide. We need a perfect Pearl for my Diamond." The newly-made gulped as they were brought to eye-level with The Agate. "You are far from it. For Diamond's sake, your logo isn't even correct." She said, observing the gem for any redeemable qualities. The gem followed their gaze, only now noticing what they looked like. They were wearing a black shirt with a blue, yellow, and pink diamond, the collar a white.

"I'm going to shatter it." The Agate finally decided, shifting her grip from the gem's collar to her neck and starting to squeeze. The newly-made made a choking sound as they began kicking again. They had only just been made, but they knew that they wanted to stay alive, even if it meant suffering the wrath of the Agate. They desperately clawed at the Agate's hands as they started to feel water leak from their eyes.

"Wait! We can't shatter it." The green gem interrupted almost nonchalantly. The Agate paused, her eyes shifting to the Peridot. "And why not? What use could this – thing possibly be to the Diamonds?" They snapped. Peridot rolled her eyes. "As I told you, there aren't many places we can make gems. We're lucky this one emerged. The Diamonds are desperate at this point." She paused, looking at the newly-made who seemed only half conscious. "If we make a better one, then we'll shatter it. Till then, let's just make due."

The Agate paused, thinking for a moment, before dropping the gem to the ground. "You're lucky we're desperate." SHe barked, glaring as the newly-made took deep breaths, their vision slowly beginning to come back into focus. "You probably won't have many millenia So make the most of it." Turning to Peridot, she continued. "You. Train it. You and I both know that this horrid physical form is going to throw off the Diamonds," She glanced at you and sighed. "So we need make up for it in every way we can."

Peridot scoffed. "Me? I don't know anything about being a Pe-" she stopped in her tracks at the gem's fierce gaze and swallowed. "I-I mean I'll do my best." She said. The Agate nodded and huffed as she walked off, leaving the gem and the Peridot alone. The Peridot sighed and glanced down at the newly-made flinched under her gaze and avoided eye-contact, still recovering from their near-shattering experience. "You should probably get some sleep. We don't need it, but this training will be rough." She said before giving it one last disgusted look and leaving, putting the bright yellow force-field up behind her.

Training the Peridot and Agate provided were always rough for the newly-made, but on the bright side they were learning a lot thanks to the vigorous work the gems had them do. Pronouns, for example. They were referred to as it, Defect, or Clod. Holly Blue and Peridot, however, referred to as she. The newly-made didn't understand why, but got the sense that it was to ostracize them. The day started with Holly Blue Agate loudly banging on their cell and saying something like "Rise and shine, you defective chunk of earth" before leading them to Peridot, who taught them basic knowledge such as ranking. They learned that they were a Pearl, the lowest of the low in what Peridot called the Diamond Authority. Apparently, the Diamonds were at the top and were the rulers of gem-kind, and anyone who even had the opportunity to speak to them was among the luckiest of them. And the newly-made had almost been given that opportunity, but they simply were -

"Defective."

Holly Blue Agate, as the Pearl had come to call her, said, crossing her arms behind her back as she paced back and forth. The newly-made opened their mouth but snapped it shut again at the blue gem's gaze. Peridot had taught her all of the basic things about Homeworld, the recent war that had been going on between the Crystal Gems and Homeworld, and how gems were made. Holly Blue Agate was the one who "taught" the newly-made gem how to be a Pearl. Among the first of many things they had learned (and would continue to learn through hard gazes and/or beatings) was that speaking out of line was one of the many things Pearls were not allowed to do.

"Yes, a Defective Pearl. Or an Off-color. Peridot tells me that most of our Pearls are simply that. Pearls. Easily and simply made until we come in with our injectors and make them more. You, however are a Freshwater Pearl, meaning that you are almost" She paused and spat the last word. "Organic." The Pearl stared down for a moment, ashamed. "To our knowledge, you are one of two defective Pearls to exist that hasn't been shattered now, so at least you have some type of title to claim." Holly Blue continued. "I wouldn't call yourself that though. Savor whatever self-worth you have, because that gem turned on us and is now with the rebellion. But that shouldn't be an issue because I'm sure those defects won't last more than a hundred years."

The newly-made flinched. Rebellion? They couldn't imagine. Even talking back to Holly Blue Agate was punishable by shattering. They had to admit though, the concept was nice. They suppressed a small smile as they made a mental note to call themselves Freshwater or Defect Pearl (DP) just to spite Holly Blue. Maybe they would even think of themselves as she. The possibilities of rebellion were endless in her mind, and it was the closest thing to rebellion they had.

"You see, most Pearls aren't special." Holly Blue Agate continued as the lights dimmed and the projector in front of the Off-Color portrayed a bright yellow gem with large eyes, a leotard, and yellow leggings and shoes. "Simple gems with frilly laces and leotards. They are owned by worthy gems, but they themselves are not worry. They are quite cute, however. I've always wanted one. Our Diamonds get fancy Pearls, of course, but what we are going for is the Perfect Pearl. One that is not merely acceptable, but spectacular. Why they want this, I don't know. I don't make the rules, I simply follow them. You, believe it or not, were actually supposed to be that. However, thanks to the fact that we decided to attempt to make you on that useless chunk of rock we call Earth, things didn't go as planned." The next image to appear on the screen was another Pearl, but this one was far different. They were a brilliant white in skin tone and were clad in a frilly green top with the Authority's logo, a rainbow colored gemstone on their eye and bright pink hair that flowed behind them. They also had a brilliantly white smile." The Off-Color gawked at the gem. She was simply beautiful!

Holly Blue Agate chuckled at the defect's reaction before her face turned stone cold again.

"What do you see compared to this Pearl?" Holly Blue asked, gesturing for DP to come closer to the large glass in front of her. The defect stepped up to pane and hesitantly looked up at Holly Blue Agate, unsure if the question was rhetorical. When they didn't get a response, they spoke. "I see -" They flinched as Holly Blue raised a fist. "M-Miss Holly Blue," they quickly corrected themselves, finding it weird to hear their voice for the first time in ages. "I see no frills or laces." They said, continuing when they got a curt nod from the gem. "Trust me, that isn't the only thing wrong here." She paused for a moment. "I need to go speak with Peridot. You will stay here and continue to observe yourself. That is an order."

The Pearl nodded before quickly saluting Holly Blue, not dropping the Diamond symbol they and Holly Blue had practiced over and over again until she heard the clicking of heels fade away.

Returning their gaze to the mirror, they realized just how...wrong they looked. For starters, they wore a black shirt with the Diamond Authority position near the top rather than in the middle, their collar a bright white, on the left a patch of yellow, the right blue, and underneath pink. While their gemstone was located on their eye, rather than it being the dazzling colors of who they were supposed to be, it was simply a bright white. Rather than their other eye being a dazzling sky blue, it was a deep dark blue, almost black and had no iris. Even their skin tone was wrong, as they were a bright blue. The only noticeable features between the two gems were their larger noses and eyes.

The Pearl felt the familiar water return to their eyes and stream down their face before they turned from the mirror, completely disgusted. They put a hand to their face to wipe their tears, but stopped, confused, when instead their world became a bright and vibrant yellow. They moved their hand across their face, confused, before their fingers wrapped around a yellow visor that had materialized. They pulled it off and quickly wiped their eyes, not wanting Holly Blue to have the satisfaction of seeing them cry.

"Nice touch." The newly-made jumped at the sound of Peridot's nasal voice from the doorway and instinctively saluted the Peridot, their visor falling to the floor and disappearing. The green gem gave a small smile before it disappeared. "Where is Holly Blue Agate?" they asked. DP didn't speak and simply stared blankly at the Peridot, who sighed. "You may speak." she said, rolling her eyes. "Miss Holly Blue says I am not meant to know of her whereabouts." they paused. "However, they told me-"

"never be too far from them, ever, so you will always know where they are. You are the only one who is to know this information unless specified by your gem." she explained, glancing up at Holly Blue, who stood next to her, rubbing her temples.

Freshwater held their salute, doing their best not to shake. They were doing their best but it seemed like it was never enough for the gems. "B-But I thought I was designed for the Diamonds?" They asked, confused. Peridot looked like she had just been slapped across the face. "Don't get your hopes up, you clod. If you can barely follow our orders, you won't last long trying to follow the orders of the Diamonds." She said, scoffing before sauntering off and leaving Holly Blue Agate Freshwater to themselves. After what felt like ages of holding that cursed salute, Holly Blue put her hand down before simply turning and walking away, leaving Freshwater awkwardly standing, still saluting the area the gem stood moments before.

Freshwater Pearl paced their cell like a caged animal. After Holly Blue Agate had left, they stood there for about an hour before awkwardly returning to their cell. Surprisingly, when they entered, Peridot never came to lock it and when they had woken up the forcefield was still down. Holly Blue Agate hadn't even came to wake her for lessons that day, and neither had Peridot. That rest of the day and the day after they had been allowed to simply stay in their cell, or wander around the ship. Every now and then Peridot or Holly Blue would walk by and Freshwater would salute them, but she was never addressed or given an order. They were free to do whatever they pleased.

And the newly made hated it.

Without a gem to serve, they felt so useless. They needed orders, structure. Without it, they had nothing. They were nothing. And that didn't sit well with Freshwater. Like it or not, her purpose was to serve, and in not serving she was going against the Diamonds, and the thought of that left a physical pang of hurt in her chest that got worse and worse with every passing hour until they just couldn't stand it anymore.

"Miss Holly Blue." They finally blurted as the Agate walked by their cell. Being beaten for speaking out of line was worth another day in their mind. The Agate stopped and turned. "What is it Defect?" She asked, a small smile tugging at her lips. The gem in question held their salute as they spoke, quivering under the Agate's gaze. "I...I can't do this." They said shakily. The Agate's smile broadened slightly. "Can't do what? You have your cell, access to the ship. You are free to roam as you like. You have freedom." The gem stepped closer, staring Freshwater down. "And you hate it." Freshwater nodded vigorously. Holly Blue straightened up, her grin not faltering. "This. This is what Pearls are made for. Your purpose is to serve. Your existence alone is a direct insult to gemkind, but we're desperate so for now we will train you to be simply average. And lesson number one is this."

The Agate stepped forward, towering over the Pearl. "You be as perfect as you can be for the gem you serve. No exceptions. Mistakes will not (and should not) be tolerated by your master." She growled, raising a fist. "Lesson Number two," she continued icily, summoning her whip from their gem. Freshwater gulped but held their salute, hoping Holly Blue Agate would have mercy on them.. "Your purpose is to serve. That is it. Any time you are not serving, you are not fulfilling your purpose. And any gem who does not fulfill their purpose all day every day is worthy of shattering. Is. That. Clear?" The newly-made nodded vigorously. "Yes, Holly Blue." They said, not dropping their salute.

The gem nodded and stepped back, looked pleased with themselves. "Good. Your lessons will continue tomorrow." Freshwater bowed but held her salute. "Thank you Holly Blue Agate. You are truly merciful to tolerate a defect like me."

The next day picked up as if nothing had ever happened, and Freshwater was grateful as she quickly Readjusted to the training routine. They knew they would never be perfect, but they could feel themselves improving. They no longer felt the need to speak, and even spoke less when they were asked questions. They no longer had to be reminded to walk behind Holly Blue, never beside her. And, best of all, they were beaten far less often due to the fact that they had begun to beat themselves up for their mistakes.

The Pearl was proud of all the progress they had made.


	2. The Order

(500 Years Later)

"This, is Earth." Peridot said, stepping to the window and gesturing outside. Freshwater stepped forward curiously, staring at the planet. It was tiny, but for some reason they felt an odd connection to the place. Shaking their head, they scowled. Earth held no importance to her. It was simply a colony gone bad, and deserved the obliteration coning to it.

" Not nearly as impressive as Homeworld, but Blue Diamond prefers most of her gems to be made on this crummy planet." She said, scoffing as the ship neared the ground. Holly Blue Agate scowled. "It's because it was Pink's colony. Don't be disrespectful, Peridot." Freshwater flinched. Pink's shattering wasn't talked about often, but there was still a lot of raw emotion since the events that happened five hundred years ago.

"Yes. I suppose you're right. I meant no disrespect - " Peridot said, trying to stutter out an apology.

"Of course you didn't. Or I would have slaughtered you."

Peridot gulped and turned, composing herself. Unlike Holly Blue had suspected, the Crystal Gems were still alive and fighting strong, their leader Rose Quartz and her army only increasing in number every day. "Anyway, we will be landing in the Prime Kindergarten. Where you were made. Blue Diamond wants the Pearl to be made from Earth, but as your existence is showing, that is a lot easier said than done." She continued as the ship landed with a thump. "But, as long as I am in charge, Blue Diamond will get what she wants." The Agate said, determined.

"Try not to get too attached to this planet. You were made for it, but unlike the Rebellion you have sense enough to realize that your true world is on Homeworld." Peridot said as the three gems exited the ship, Freshwater tailing behind them.

Freshwater thought that the kindergarten had a lot better ring to it than it looked, and apparently Peridot felt the same as she observed the area. "Yes, as I expected. These injectors aren't even on, and everything is pretty much destroyed." she murmured to herself. "It's those Crystal Gems." Holly Blue spat. "Every time we plant an injector they destroy it. At this rate we'll never have a Perfect Pearl." Freshwater looked down dejectedly. After 500 years she had long since accepted the fact that she was defective, but the words still stung.

"Well, we better tell Yellow Diamond about this. We've tried everything to get life to grow here. We need to try another planet." she said, pulling out a diamond communicator. Peridot sighed and rubbed her temples. "Okay." she glanced over at the Pearl with a disgusted look. "Wait, what about the defect?" Holly Blue paused and sighed before answering. "Well, we'll have to show them all we have. I'm sure they're already going to be furious, and I'd rather not go to them with bad news _and_ empty handed." she said, activating the communicator.

The object was lifted from the Blue gem's hand and Freshwater recognized the Pearl that answered as the one Holly Blue Agate had shown her during her training. "This is the Yellow Diamond Control Room. Who authorized you to use this call?" she asked, her eyes narrowing when she saw the Agate and Peridot. Freshwater frowned and glared at the gem. She may have served Yellow Diamond, but she wasn't above an Agate or a Peridot.

"Noone! But-"

"Cut the crap, Pearl." Holly Blue said, stepping forward. "We've called to update Yellow Diamond on a mission that has little to do with you. You may serve a Diamond, but you yourself are not one Now, _please_ allow us to speak to Yellow Diamond immediately."

Yellow Pearl looked taken aback and opened her mouth to respond, but a voice behind her interrupted.

"Pearl?"

The Pearl turned around and saluted a figure off-screen. "Y-Yes My Diamond?"

"Who is that on the Diamond Line?"

"I don't know!" The Pearl insisted. "I was just about to tell her tha-"

"I'll take it from here."

Freshwater's breath hitched when a large, gloved hand picked up the communicator and a yellow figure was shown. She had bright yellow skin tone with hard yellow eyes that could shatter if she felt provoked, and was wearing a yellow helmet with brown boots. Holly Blue Agate and Peridot automatically saluted the gem, and Freshwater did the same, completely terrified.

"Yellow Diamond, Peridot Facet-3g6k cut-8rs reporting in with Holly Blue Agate. I'm sorry to contact you this way, but the Crystal Gems have destroyed the Communication Hub." Peridot said, remaining stiff. Yellow Diamond sighed. "Yes, I am well aware. Those Crystal Naissances have been a headache lately." she said, rubbing her temples with one hand and waving the other dismissively, making the three Gems snapped their arms down. "Now tell me." Yellow Diamond continued, "How is -" she froze and her gaze hardened when her eyes landed on Freshwater, who snapped her arms back up to a salute and did her best not to shake.

"What is...that?" she demanded. Her Pearl jumped and turned, her eyes widening when she saw the defective Pearl.

Holly Blue Agate and Peridot exchanged a look before Holly Blue cleared her throat and stepped forward. "My Diamond. We are doing the best we can. But this planet is weak. We were lucky to get even this one to emerge."

Yellow Diamond turned her attention to the defect. After an intense pause she returned her attention to Holly Blue Agate and Peridot. "Why wasn't I notified of this sooner?" she addressed the Agate. "I'm sorry my Clarity. We just wanted to try again before we contacted you. We didn't want to waste your time." Her superior sighed. "You already have." she said simply. Her eyes darted over to the Defect before returning to the Agate.

"Start again on the moon. Blue is insistent on having something to remember Pink by, and from what we can tell the Earth depends heavily on the Moon for its tides. As for that -" she pointed to the defect.

"Destroy it."


	3. Safety?

"Destroy it."

The second Freshwater heard those words, she took off through the Kindergarten, runnning as fast asher legs would carry her. Behind her, Peridot quickly ended the call with Yellow Diamond and she andHolly Blue Agate chased after the lighter gem.

"Get back here you useless chunk of Earth!"

"It's useless to run from the Diamonds, you Clod!"

The Pearl did their best to ignore their comments as she ducked around a corner and behind one of theinjectors Peridot was talking about, trying to steady her breathing as the two gems rushed passed her. As soon as she saw the Peridot's hair turn a corner, she shot in the opposite direction, not wanting totake any chances by staying in the same place for too long.

Freshwater Pearl's heart pounded in her ears as she ran through the new area, passing by what felt likehundreds of gem-sized holes along the way. She tried to push herself as far and as fast as she could go,but the strain of not being trained for physical activity set in, forcing her to come to a halt in front of when she saw a hole that looked about her height and build. Oddly enough, the Pearl felt a strong connection to the hole, a strange rush of calmness washing over her body.

The calm feeling quickly went away, however, when she heard a faint beeping at her feet. Looking down, Freshwater let out a cry of surprise at the sight of one of Peridot's Robonoids. Before they had achance to react, however, the small machine exploded and the Pearl flew through the air and landed roughly on the ground of the hole she had been looking at moments before.

"That was one of my Robonoids!" Peridot shouted, hurried footsteps coming in the direction of the Pearl. "What? I thought those things were only meant to be around Warp Pads? Those Crystal Gemsbroke another one?" Holly Blue asked, jogging beside her. Peridot sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised.That's not important though. One of my robonoids just exploded, and they're only designed to do thatwhen it comes against enemy and/or unrecognized gems and stun them instantly. So that either meanswe have a new prisoner from the Crystal Clods for Yellow Diamond, or we know where the Defect is."

Oh no. Oh no no no no no no no.

The Pearl thought to themselves as they heard the two gems approaching. This couldn't be happening. Sure enough, when they tried to get up, they were paralyzed, only having control over their eyes which darted back and forth, wildly looking for an escape.

Before they could find one, however, a firm whip wrapped around them and an unseen force roughly pulled them from their temporary safe-haven. "Hiding in your exit hole. Truly Pathetic." Holly BlueAgate said, gripping her whip and glaring down at the still paralyzed gem. "Huh. Nice to know my Robonoids are still doing their job flawlessly. Now hurry up and shatter it. I don't like the concept ofthose Crystal Clods catching us here." Peridot said, stiffling a yawn.. "Don't rush me, Peridot." Holly BlueAgate snapped. "I don't want to mess this up like we did last time." She said with a sinister grin, leaning down and carelessly tossing the gem's visor away before placing a firm hand on her gemstone andstarting to pull.

Freshwater felt herself start to struggle, but the physical signs weren't showing. Physically, there was no screaming or crying out in pain. Thanks to the Robonoids, all Freshwater Pearl could do was sit and watch as Holly blue tried to take her gem. Some gems would have called it painless due to the lack of reaction, but it was truly unbearable and brought pained tears to the gem's eyes.

Freshwater Pearl was on the verge of blacking out when a look of shock flashed across Holly BlueAgate's face and she suddenly disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Forcing their eyes to focus, Freshwater saw three gems she recognized from Peridot's teachings about the Crystal Gems: a short Amethyst, avPearl, and a fusion of two gems that Freshwater couldn't remember throughbthe haze and pain.

The Pearl and Amethyst each bubbled the blue and green gems they were holding before their eyes finally settled on the defect. After a beat, they then glanced up at the fusion, who seemed to be the leader in Rose Quartz's absense.

Fear flashed across Freshwater's face as the fusion approached her, and she now realized she much prefered her gem being pulled from her than to take on the stoic gem.

Rather than pain, however, the Pearl felt a gentle hand lightly caress her face. "Don't worry. You're safe with us." she said in a soothing voice.

Freshwater Pearl barely had time to register the sentence before the pain overwhelmed her and shepassed out, her body disappearing with a poof of smoke.


	4. The Wrapper

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl stood stock still in the temple for what felt like an eternity. Amethyst opened her mouth to say something, but Garnet put a finger to her lips and the purple gem stopped herself. Pearl was starting to think that they'd never find the creature, but froze when she saw a bright flash of red dart around the corner.

As soon as she saw this she rushed at the small form, which let out a loud shriek.

"Steven, stop being so dramatic." She scolded, scooping up the small boy in her arms. The young human-gem hybrid seemed to have an uncanny ability to sense when bath time was near, always managing to disappear right before one of his guardians came to get him. "No bath! No bath!" he shouted, trying to squirm free of the pale gem's firm grasp.

"Yes, bath. You've got food all over yourself." she said, grimacing as she grabbed a towel and wiped some of the grime from his face. Steven almost seemed to get more agitated and didn't settle until Garnet grabbed a small purple teddy bear and handed it to the child. "Heroes need to stay neat and clean, Steven." the fusion said, trying to suppress a small smile. Despite the fact that the fusion was the leader, Rose's son had earned a spot in her heart as soon as she'd met him, and she could rarely ever bring herself to scold the four-year-old.

"Hey, Ste-man if ya let Pearl give you a bath I'll let ya have some junk food!" Amethyst said, returning from the fridge, a Cookie Cat in hand. Steven's eyes lit up at the treat as he reached for it, but Pearl swung him out of reach. "Oh, no you won't. After bath time, Steven needs to be put to bed. You know how grumpy he gets when he doesn't get enough sleep. Anyhow, it's far too late for snacks, and last time we did that Steven didn't go down until three A.M."

"Please, Pearl? I promise I'll eat the carrots you left me too instead of throwing them out like usual!" Pearl rolled her eyes. She had long since known Steven had been throwing away the various fruits and vegetables, forcing her to pull an underhanded tactic and sneak the things into his cookies and other junk-food when he wasn't looking. "Steven, as much as I hate eating, food is good for you. Or rather, healthy food is good for you." she corrected, glaring at Amethyst who simply shrugged and shoved one of the Cookie Cats into her mouth.

Steven pouted and decided to pull his signature puppy dog eyes. It was a dirty trick, but it worked pretty much every time he tried it. "Pppllllleeeaassseee Pearl?" he begged, looking up at her with big, starry eyes. Pearl looked down to scold the four-year-old, but immediately stopped, groaning inwardly. There it was. That signature Steven looked. "Fine. You can have a Cookie Cat when after your bath." Steven cheered. "But. One condition. You also have to eat your carrots." she said seriously. Steven seemed slightly dejected, but his spirits immediately rose when he saw Amethyst ripping open another one of the treats. "Shake on it?" he asked, stretching out a hand.

Pearl couldn't hide the laugh that slipped through her mouth. "Steven, I would never lie to you." she paused as she carried the boy to the bathroom. "But yes, I will shake on it." she said, setting him down on the toilet seat and stretching out her hand. Steven gave her a toothy grin as he reached out for Pearl's hand, raising his hand in an up and down motion before dropping it and starting to shake himself, laughing loudly. A smile tugged at the corner's of Pearl's mouth as she copied his speratic movements.

The bond between herself and Steven was something she had never expected. She expected herself to hate the young boy as soon as he formed, and she had for a while, leaving Garnet and Amethyst to care for Steven emotionally while she locked herself in her room and grieved. She now looked back on the long memories of endless tears, proud of exactly how much she had grown. Now, however, their bond was one she would never give up. She was the stricter among the three parental figures, but it was all out of love. Scoldings were gentle, yet firm, and punishments fair. The young hybrid even brought out an almost silly side to her. She would spend hours playing with Steven when Garnet and Amethyst went on missions, something she would never tell Amethyst.

Rose was gone and she missed the pink haired gem greatly, but she had something better now.

"Garnet, do you want to share with me?" Steven asked, half-ing the Cookie Cat and offering it to the stoic leader. After bath time had finished, true to her word, Steven had been given a treat and now sat on his bed in the temple and Pearl had returned to her room.

Garnet thought for a moment before deciding to indulge in the child's antics. "Thank you, Steven." she said, taking the half that was offered to her. "Don't you guys ever get hungry?" he asked, curiously, swinging his legs as he ate. Garnet shook her head. "Gems can eat, but we don't need to." she explained. "Some of us like to, but it isn't necessary." she chuckled as she took a bite. "Amethyst sure enjoys it a lot though." Steven furrowed his brow. "Well then why do I have to do it?" he asked curiously. Garnet pursed her lips. Had Greg really not told him this before? She grimaced at the thought of how much they'd need to tell Steven, feeling herself grow anxious at the worry of when they'd tell him, how they'd know when to tell him. The gems were parental figures, sure, but they were not biological mothers.

"Garnet?"

The fusion was pulled from her thoughts at the worried voice of the boy. Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts away. There would be time to tell him when he was older, and they would know when that was. She told herself. "You're just special, Steven. Half gem, half human. Remember?" Steven blushed. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forget." he said, sheepishly rubbing his neck. The fusion chuckled. "It's okay. There's a lot of stuff to remember. I'm sure it can all fit in that big brain of yours." she paused. "You need to sleep now though. Even gems sleep now and then." she instructed. Steven groaned and started to open his mouth to bargain with the leader, but she raised a hand. "No exceptions." she said softly yet firmly. Steven frowned. "You didn't even know what I was going to say!" he protested.

The fusion simply gave another chuckle and affectionately ruffled the boy's hair before going to the gem door, raising her hands and opening. "Good night Steven." she said with a small smile before the door closed behind her.

Steven yawned and pulled the covers up to his neck and started to close his eyes and drift off, but stopped when his eyes landed on the wrapper. Groaning slightly and cursing Pearl's cleaning spirit rubbing off on him, he stood and grabbed the wrapper before walking over to the trash can, letting out yet another groan when he saw it was full.

Glancing up, his eyes landed on the gem door Garnet had just entered. Maybe there was a trash can in there? The gems had never said he couldn't enter, but he also couldn't remember a time where he had been invited in. The five year old grasped the wrapper in his hand. "Pearl says we can't leave messes." he muttered to himself before approaching it and raising a hand to knock. Before he had a chance to, however, the door opened on its own accord.

Steven curiously yet cautiously stepped into the bright pink room. "Amethyst? Pearl?" he called, cupping his hands over his mouth. When there was no answer, he continued through the room before calling out again. "Garnet, I know you said to go to bed, but I wanna talk to you!" he called again. Almost immediately, the clouds around him moved aside and a pole was appeared. Approaching it hesitantly, he looked down, jumping back when he saw a large chasm below him.

Steven rolled his eyes. "Pearl, I know what you're doing. I promise I'm gonna throw my trash away." he murmured to himself, taking a deep breath as he leapt out and clung to the pole for dear life, clutching the wrapper with one hand and letting out loud whoops and screams of delight as he shot down the pole. The ride was cut short, however, when his body rounded a corner he wasn't ready for and he was launched from the pole and through the air. His screams of delight were suddenly cut off by a grunt when he landed rather abruptly on a cool surface. Looking down, he realized he wasn't on the ground, but on a blue bubble with what appeared to be a gemstone inside and the ground was still roughly twenty feet down.

"O-Okay. This is fine." he said awkwardly, clinging to the bubble and looking around. "Garnet says if I was in danger, cry for help. He-" Before he could finish his cry, however, the bubble beneath him burst and he was falling again, the cursed wrapper that had gotten him into this mess falling beside him. Steven clutched his eyes shut and screamed, bracing for impact, an odd instinct telling him to cover and protect his stomach area.

Rather than a painful impact, however, Steven simply landed with a soft "Oof!". "Garnet!" he shouted, burrying his face into the gem's shirt and sobbing, tears streaming down his face. "Thank you! I...I'm sorry! I should have stayed in bed. I just had to throw the wrapper away, but the trash can was full and I went to this weird room and then I fell down here a-" he shuddered and let out another sob, expecting the gem to start scolding him. To his surprise, however, it didn't come. After a brief moment, he wiped his face and eyes on his shirt sleeve and looked up, fully expecting to see the gem's angry face.

To his shock, however, rather than an angry leader, Steven was instead in the arms of an extremely confused blue gem with pink hair, a yellow visor, and a black shirt with four different colored diamonds on it.

"Uh." Steven said awkwardly, anxiety gripping his chest. "Hi. I'm Steven."


	5. Ironic

Freshwater looked down at the small form in her arms, confused. The last thing she could remembered was a rush of pain and a soothing voice, the words long since forgotten. Glancing up, she saw that she was in a room full of bubbled gems of all sorts of shapes and sizes.

"Uhm. Hello?"

Freshwater jolted and returned her gaze to the boy, temporarily forgetting she was even holding him in the first place. He was….odd. A lot shorter than Freshwater with black hair, clad in a red shirt and -

The Pearl immediately dropped the form and backed up when she saw the bright yellow star on the creature's shirt, realizing it was with them. The Crystal Gems.

Steven let out a cry of surprise when he hit the ground. The gem in front of him looked terrified, their head turning in different directions, looking for a way out of whatever mess they were in.

"Hey, it's okay." Steven said, stepping forward to comfort the gem, who immediately flinched back as if he was going to hit her.

"I'm not going to hu-"

"Steven!" A shrill voice interrupted, making Steven jump and Freshwater visibly tense up. Turning, Steven saw Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl in the doorway, weapons at the ready. "Steven, get over here right now." Pearl ordered, gesturing for him to come over. "You aren't supposed to be in here, bud." Amethyst said, shaking her head. "This place is dang-"

The gems seemed to all notice Freshwater at once, staring in shock at the Bright Blue Pearl in front of them. Recognizing her instantly as the Pearl from four thousand five hundred years ago, Garnet motioned for the gems to lower their weapon, and she did the same. "Group huddle." She murmured, motioning for Pearl and Amethyst to come near, putting an arm around both gems as they talked in hushed voices.

Freshwater watched as the gems decided her fate, terror gripping them. This was almost cruel. She had had so many brushes with death since her existence, come so close to being shattered only to barely make it out. It was terrifying. What if this was it? What if this was the end of the line? What if they turned and shattered her, as Yellow Diamond had wanted so desperately to do? What if -

"Hey? Are you okay?" Freshwater glanced down when felt a light tugging on her uniform. It was the thing she had been holding earlier. The Steven. His head was cocked to the side and when Freshwater looked into his eyes she didn't see the hostility she had seen so many times before. Frankly, it scared her.

Not knowing what the right answer to the question was, Freshwater simply stared at the form before raising their gaze back to the gems. She made the mistake of accidentally locking eyes with the Pearl, scowled and ducked their head back down

After an agonizing beat, the gems seemed to come to a conclusion of some sort, the Pearl hesitant, Amethyst almost bored, and fusion emotionless. The Pearl exchanged a look with the taller gem before heaving a sigh and making her way over to Freshwater.

Freshwater tensed up but as the gem drew near and instinctively snapped to attention, forming the Diamond Salute and stiffening. This gem was a Pearl, but they seemed to be a fancy one, not a defect like herself. The Pearl physically cringed at the salute and glanced back at the fusion, who grimaced but motioned for her to continue. Turning back, the Pearl finally spoke.

"What are you? You look like a Pearl, but different." She asked, looking the defect up and down. "Your grace, I am Freshwater Pearl, Defect. Facet 5h7k cut 6zy." She recited, not lowering her salute. Pearl suppressed the urge to role her eyes as she continued her interrogation. "Why don't we call her Freshwater?" Steven spoke up. Pearl nodded. "Yes. Freshwater. That's a lot easier to say." The Pearl paused before awkwardly saying, "You can lower the salute."

Freshwater's heart did a summersault. Was that an order? She had forgotten how much she missed having one of those. She remembered that feeling of not having served for a few days, and wondered how she could exist if she was never given an order again. The Agate's words then rushed back to her, and Freshwater swore she could almost hear them.

 ** _Your purpose is to serve. That is it. Any time you are not serving, you are not fulfilling your purpose. And any gem who does not fulfill their purpose all day every day is worthy of shattering._**

Pearl awkwardly glanced up at Garnet, who shrugged, the purple gem beside her looking equally confused. Turning back she cleared her throat and Freshwater snapped back to life, lowering her salute with a structured "Yes Ma'am."

The rest of the interrogation was brief, but seemed to drag to Pearl. Every time Pearl would ask a question, Freshwater would answer it almost desperately, seemingly begging to be used for information. Physically an easy interrogation, and they learned that 1. Freshwater was a defect, 2. She had been designed for the Diamonds but before being poofed she was serving an Agate and a Peridot due to the fact she was defective. Again, a physically successful interrogation.

But it reminded Pearl of how she used to be before she had joined the rebellion. There was no freedom behind that visor, the eyes were open, but there was no gem there. No personality. It simply existed to do whatever thing its master saw fit, existing for whatever purpose it had been presently given. Pearl thought it was revolting.

Which was why she had been the one to recommend trying to change the gem. Garnet had thought about it, but truthfully she was worried. Even Amethyst didn't think having the Pearl was a good idea. But Pearl had been insistent on this and there had been little pushback as the gems knew how passionate Pearl was about what Rose Quartz stood for and how it had affected her on a deep personal level.

Because, ironically, while Freshwater was not physically perfect as the Diamonds wanted, she still did everything asked of her. She answered every question Pearl asked, she never met Pearl's gaze fully, she only spoke when she was spoken to, she had to be reminded multiple times that she could lower that Diamond salute.

Ironically, she was truly a Perfect Pearl.


	6. Baby Steps

"Hey Freshie, ya wanna come join me and Steven on the couch? I got a controller with your name on it!"

Freshwater cringed at the nickname the purple had given her. "No thank you." She said stiffly, glancing up anxiously at the temple door. Steven frowned from his place on the couch. Ever since Pearl dissappeared through the temple door, Freshwater seemed to almost guard it, standing either in the middle of the room, next to the front door, or in front of it, where she was now.

Pausing the game for a moment, he walked over and knocked on it, calling,"Pearl? I think Freshwater wants to talk to you!"

Freshwater's eyes widened. "No!" She said a little too quickly. she cleared her throat awkwardly before continuing. "It's fine. It is out of line for me to disturb." She said anxiously. The boy arched an eyebrow before knocking again. "Whad'ya mean? Pearl doesn't sleep much." He said, shooting her a toothy grin as the door opened, revealing the permafusion (Garnet, if Freshwater remembered correctly. Introductions had been brief, and she had never met a permafusion between the two before recently.)

"Oh, hello Steven. Are you ready for breakfast?" She asked, giving the boy a small smile and ruffling his hair. "I am!" Amethyst called, shooting from the couch and rushing to the fridge. "Well, yes, but I actually think Freshwater wanted to talk to Pearl." Steven said pointing at the gem next to him. The stoic leader hummed as she rubbed her chin, observing the gem.

After a moment, the leader turned back to Steven. "Go ahead into the kitchen and figure out what you want to eat. I'll be in there to help. Don't let Amethyst eat everything in the fridge either." Steven nodded, starry eyed before rushing off to the kitchen.

"You can drop the salute, Freshwater." The fusion said with a soft smile. Freshwater awkwardly did as she was told mentally cursing herself. "I-I apologize, Miss. Garnet." She said, sweating profusely.

Garnet's smile faltered. The permafusion was so used to Pearl's nature that she had forgotten the nature of Pearls back on Homeworld. Her heart ached when she imagined Pearl acting as Freshwater did. The constant anxiety of being replaced, not seeing the value of yourself and instead finding it in whatever gem you were destined to serve. And then there was the fact that she was defective, so any little respect Pearls could scrape up from the gems they served was automatically crushed due to the fact that few gems would take her.

"Freshwater." She said seriously, kneeling down so she was on the Pearl's level and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Freshwater had to fight to keep her arms from automatically shooting up again as the fusion spoke. "You don't have to call me Miss. Garnet. just Garnet. You're free here. I know you don't know what that means, but hopefully one day you will. Apparently Pearl used to be a lot like you once, but Rose showed her what it means to be free. You can have that one day too if you like." She paused before straightening up. "At the end of the day, it's your choice." She said, giving Freshwater a wink and a smile, standing and starting to walk away.

"Garnet." Freshwater's hand shot out and clamped down hard on her mouth as she realized she had just spoken out of turn. And she hadn't called the Gem by a title. But that was okay, wasn't it? Oh Diamonds, she truly was defective.

Garnet turned back, noticing the gem's mental struggle turning physical. "Yes, Freshwater?" She asked soothingly, trying to coax the gem's words from her mouth. Freshwater seemed to teeter on the edge of speaking, countless beatings from Holly Blue Agate for this very thing coming to mind. But she was safe here, right? The Agate and Peridot hadn't been seen since she was poofed, which meant they were either shattered, hidden from her sonewhere in the temple, or they had escaped.

For a brief moment, the fusion feared she would have to order the Pearl to speak her mind, but as she did, the Pearl closed her eyes and forced herself to lower her hand and look at the fusion as she asked what she had been wondering ever since she reformed.

"Where is Rose Quartz?"

"Ok, Freshwater, are you ready?" Pearl asked, sitting in front of the blue gem and awkwardly intertwining her fingers. As soon as Freshwater had asked her question, Garnet realized exactly how in the dark Freshwater was about everything, having been put in a bubble for the past four thousand five hundred years and had dreamed it necessary to answer some questions. So Amethyst had been sent out to entertain Steven in Beach City while Garnet and Pearl had stayed back to catch Freshwater up to speed.

"Okay. How much do you remember about the war before you were poofed?" Garnet asked. Freshwater frowned, deep in thought. "I remember Rose Quartz was spreading a message about the good of the Earth, and The Diamonds didn't approve." She said tentatively. Pearl nodded, urging the gem to continue. "And troops were sent to silence them, as Pink Diamond didn't approve." She paused again and wracked her brain. "And Pink diamond was shattered."

Freshwater frowned before looking back up. "That's really all I remember. Holly Blue Agate said you guys were supposed to be whipped out shortly, but after a little over five hundred years you guys are still here, so I guess she was -" freshwater's gut clenched. She couldn't bring herself to admit that her former leader, no matter how horrible, was wrong.

Pearl and Garnet exchanged a look awkwardly. "And that's all you remember?" Pearl asked, arching an eyebrow. Freshwater nodded. Pearl sighed and stood, a bright light forming from her gem. "I seriously doubt I can cover all of the the events in gem history of four thousand five hundred years." She muttered.

Freshwater gaped. "Four thousand five hundred years?" She asked, shocked. That couldn't have been right. She felt like she had only been out for maybe two or three hundred at most. "How is that possible?" She asked, confused.

"Well, we came at the nick of time." Garnet explained as the light from Pearl's gem depicted the events from so long ago. Freshwater grimaced at the memory of the near death experience. "We were able to poof them, but unfortunately you took a lot of damage." Garnet continued as Freshwater watched in horror as her form disappeared and hologram Garnet picked up her gem and the Amethyst and Pearl joined her on the warp pad.

"We took you to Rose to try to heal you." Pearl picked up as the light disappeared and she turned back to Freshwater, sadness in her eyes. "But there was really nothing that could be done. We were sure you were alive and we checked your gem for cracks, but there were none. We weren't sure what was wrong."

"Eventually though, we had other pressing matters to attend to." Garnet said, adjusting her shades. "Our leader had just killed a Diamond, so we were public enemy number one. We couldn't have someone to guard and protect you all the time. So Rose suggested that we bubble you. To keep you safe."

Freshwater appeared to be in a state of shock, but didn't speak as the fusion finished. "We technically survived the war. But at a cost." She said, scoffing. "The Diamonds cast this song. It corrupted everyone, turning them into horrible former forms of themselves." She grit her teeth at the memory. "We didn't know how many gems had been impacted." Pearl murmured. "We didn't understand corruption then, and we don't understand it now. We weren't sure if the blast impacted bubbled gems, and we didn't have enough numbers to risk that being the case. So we kept you in a bubble."

Freshwater thought for a moment, her hand coming under her visor to caress her gem. Almost five thousand years she had been trapped in a bubble. It angered her, but she was a Pearl. What was she going to do, lash out in anger and attack the two gems?

So instead, she swallowed back her anger and ignored it. "But what happened to Rose?" She asked. Garnet and Pearl looked taken aback at Freshwater's lack of reaction. The gems exchanged a look and Garnet looked like she wanted to pres the issue but changed her mind at the last second. "Rose Quartz. That is Steven's mother. She gave up her form when she met a human."

Freshwater nodded. Yes, she had heard of humans. Weak forms who were incapable of doing much of anything. But this was a gem-hybrid. Interesting. "And you care for the Steven?" She asked. "It's just Steven." Pearl said with a small laugh. "But yes, very much so. We protect him and this planet with our lives." Freshwater nodded, falling silent again.

So this was her new mission. Protecting Rose's son. She thought back to the Agate and Peridot and her heart kept into her throat. But what was she supposed to do, say no to an order, even if the order was implied? That was unheard of.

So the Pearl simply stood and took a deep breath. "Then I will do the same. Is ther anything else I need to know?" She asked. Pearl thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No, but if you are curious, I have a tool that may answer small questions yShe said simply before walking away, the gem door closing behind her.

Garnet and Pearl watched Freshwater leave, shocked. "That was...unexpected." Garnet admitted, removing her visor and placing it down. Pearl sighed and shook her head. "No. Not really. Despite what Homeworld says, they made this Pearl pretty much perfectly. She doesn't care about her own moral standings. As long as she is given an order, she will fulfill it." She frowned for a moment. "Honestly I would prefer if she turned on us, because at least then it would be of her own decision."


	7. Distant

Having turned thirteen a few months prior, Steven spent little time around the house and much preferred to roam around Beach City, taking his bright jovial mood with him wherever he went. After a discussion with Garnet, Freshwater now sat on the couch, anxiously awaiting the boy's return. The pink haired gem usually followed Steven everywhere making sure he was safe, not out of emotional attachment but out of duty. She didn't necessarily dislike the boy, but she found it difficult to be as close to him as the gems were.

The only gem she found herself becoming close to, in fact, was the Pearl.

Freshwater couldn't pin exactly why she saw Pearl as the leader moreso than Garnet, or why it was Pearl who she often had to restrain herself from saluting. Theoretically, she should see the fusion as the leader, but instead she did this with Pearl. Every time the gem was near, she would look up and manage to join her in whatever activity she was doing. She wasn't sure why, but she felt she could trust the gem. When the gem was gone for too long, Freshwater found herself standing and pacing anxiously, not letting up until the gem came through the temple door.

The closest explanation she could come up with was the Pearl was the closest thing to what Homeworld had been trying to accomplish, except she was on the opposite side.

Freshwater looked up and put the mirror away when the front door opened with a loud bang, an excited voice calling out her. "Hey Freshwater!" He greeted, waving at the gem with a broad smile. Freshwater nodded and smiled lightly at the boy's good mood. She was glad that his mood would not falter, regardless of whether or not she engaged in conversation.

A few seconds later, the warp pad activated and the three gems stepped off, greeting Steven and Freshwater. "Hey Ste-man! How was your first day without Freshwater breathing down your neck?" Amethyst asked, joining Steven at the table. Freshwater blushed. Amethyst was the only gem that made her feel uncomfortable. In her mind, the purple gem was just like her. Defective. So why was she acting so differently?

"Amethyst, be sensitive." Pearl scolded, crossing her arms over her chest and going over to the table as well. Freshwater immediately stood and joined the gems as well. "But do tell us Steven, how was your first day on your own?" Garnet asked curiously.

Steven practically vibrated with excitement as he launched into a story about how he had made a new friend named Connie, and how they had spent the day together. Eating donuts, playing together at the beach. Amethyst chortled. "You like her!" She exclaimed, grasping his face in her hands. A bright blush immediately came to Steven's face. "Uh, I like everybody." He tried to defend himself. His eyes lit up again.

Over the next few weeks, Steven had been spending more and more time with Connie, and Freshwater had even gotten to meet the human. Looking at them, she didn't really see much. According to Pearl, they were even weaker than Steven. It was oddly fascinating, yet disgusting.

Truthfully, she couldn't see why the gems fought so hard for them. She even came to the same conclusion when she met the girls' parents at dinner once, where the gems all fused into Alexandrite and were accompanied by Steven, Freshwater, Greg (Steven's father). The dinner had been intense for Freshwater, not because she was afraid of disappointing the girl's family but because Alexandrite towered over her. She was glad that the only fusion related things she had to put up with was following Garnet, who she still wasn't sure how she felt about.

There was just so much to take in.

Freshwater stared at the mirror in her hands intently. Pearl had given it to her after she had been told about her history, instructing her that if she had any other questions she could ask the mirror. She had taken it, of course, but had little interest in it. In her mind, the gems had told her what she was supposed to know, so there was no point in asking further questions. Anyhow, after assuming the position as another one of the Steven's caregivers, she had little time to herself, and the thought of the mirror often slipped her mind.

Presently, though, Steven was sitting at the table, having just recently gotten home from yet another day out with Connie. She wasn't allowed to go on missions yet either, so that meant there was nothing to do. This was something that Freshwater had only recently started to begrudgingly accept. Being away from Pearl meant no orders, so Freshwater would take on the job of watching Steven or cleaning the already immaculate house. Sometimes, though there would be moments where she had nothing to do.

"Hey, Freshwater. What are you looking at?" Freshwater jumped at Steven's voice,having momentarily forgotten the boy's presence. Freshwater simply handed the mirror to him before folding her hands in her lap. "A Mirror? Cool! Is it magic?" He asked curiously. "Yes." Freshwater said, still true to her short responses. Steven frowned as he looked at the mirror. "Care to explain what it does?" He asked curiously, tracing the blue tear-shaped gemstone on the back.

Freshwater frowned, unsure of how much she should tell him, or how much he already knew about the war. After a moment she finally spoke again. "Pearl gave it to me. Ask her." Steven suppressed the urge to sigh as he sat next to Freshwater. He didn't understand the gem, but he also didn't want to judge her either.

As soon as Pearl's door opened, Steven jumped up and rushed over, mirror in hand. "Hey, Pearl, Freshwater was looking at this! She said it was magic, but what does it do?" He asked excitedly. Pearl glanced from the mirror to a sheepish Freshwater standing behind him, giving both a smile. "Oh, Freshwater, I'm glad you're taking my advice and learning about our history."

Steven's eyes lit up. "Your history?"

Pearl chuckled and nodded, taking the mirror. "It's simple. We found this mirror at the Galaxy Warp. Anywhere this mirror has witnessed can be displayed." She explained before clearing her throat. "Show us the Galaxy Warp." She commanded, holding the mirror up for the two to see.

Nothing. Pearl frowned. "I know you've see it." She said, glancing it over again before sighing and handing the mirror back to Freshwater, who looked it over again, somewhat dejected.

Steven noticed Freshwater's interest in the mirror and frowned. "Can we still keep it?" He asked excitedly. Pearl shrugged. "I don't see why not. It's no harm." She said, ruffling Steven's hair affectionately before returning to her room, the door shutting behind her.

"Let's go for a walk around beach city! Maybe we can get it to activate there. Anyway, I miss hanging out with you." Steven said, beaming as he took Freshwater's hand and practically dragged her out the door. The dark blue blush came to the Pearl's face as she followed. "Oh. Th-Thank you." She paused. "I rather...enjoy your company as well."


	8. Thank You

"So what if she's defective? I'm defective, and that doesn't hold me back!" Amethyst shouted, slamming her fist on the table. She, Garnet, and Pearl were all sitting in the temple kitchen trying to figure out what exactly was holding Freshwater back, preventing her from changing. It was true that she did seem a lot less afraid of them, true, but they wanted her to feel comfortable here.

"Amethyst, you have to remember that Freshwater has grown up being berated for how she is." Garnet said, placing a soothing hand on the purple gem's shoulder. "Since the beginning, you had us to show you that it didn't matter what you looked like didn't matter. Freshwater has never had that before, so it will take her a long time to develop the same mindset." Garnet knew how pationate Amethyst was about this subject, and she had hoped that maybe Amethyst would rub off on her, but there was no such luck.

"I think it's also because she was brought up as a Pearl." Pearl explained, putting her hand on her chin. "On Homeworld, Pearls have no use other than serving. That's all they're made to do, and they feel useless when they are incapable of doing these things." She explained, grimacing at the memories of how she used to do the exact same thing. "She isn't connecting with us because she feels that is a waste of time, and that she isn't worthy of friendship with us. All she really knows is her coding, and as far as Homeworld is concerned, making friends is not a part of that."

"You seem to know a lot about this stuff." Amethyst said, looking up at the pale gem. Pearl blushed lightly as she glanced out the window, seeing Steven leading Freshwater down the beach. "It's going to be difficult to change her, but I know we can. After all, you guys changed me."

"Why is this thing not working?" Steven said, frowning as he held the mirror. Freshwater simply shrugged as she eyed the mirror, letting out a small gasp when the boy grabbed her other hand and began to run through Beach City excitedly shouting something about school being out. He was so excited, in fact, that he barrelled into one of the owners of the donut shop, bouncing off his taller form and landing on Freshwater, who steadied him.

"Watch where you're going you littl-" The boy he ran into turned around, prepared to give Steven the most intense verbal lashing he'd ever received. When he got the sense that the gem with him was glaring angrily through her visor, however, he stopped himself and replaced whatever he was going to say with an angered "Steven".

"Oh, sorry Lars and Sadie!" Steven greeted, stopping in front of the two humans. "Eh, don't worry about it Steven. Freshwater. Good to see you again." The blonde said, waving at the two of them. Freshwater simply nodded as the the humans talked about something called "Beach Summer Fun Buddies".

"Right now, Freshwater is my Beach Summer Fun Buddy!" Steven said, proudly gesturing to the Pearl. Freshwater blushed slightly but offered the boy a small smile, glancing down at the mirror in his hand. Thankfully, it was still intact. As soon as she and Steven had stepped out of the house and away from the safety of the temple, Freshwater had gotten an uneasy feeling that she couldn't quite put her fin-

"Watch where you're going you litt-"

Freshwater jumped and yanked Steven back as a truck with a man's head on top narrowly avoided hitting them. Had Freshwater been any other gem type, she would have scolded Steven for being so careless when he was excited. She honestly wondered how he survived while she and the gems weren't with him.

After getting an angry scolding from the man in the car, Freshwater looked down at the mirror, confused. Steven didn't seem to register what had happened until Freshwater did this. He and Freshwater exchanged a glance before Steven raised the gem curiously. "What just happened?" He wondered aloud.

To Freshwater's shock, the mirror replayed a clip of Steven's laughter as a response. The Pearl gaped as Steven started to talk to it, the mirror responding by playing different parts of the day. Freshwater simply stared in shock as the boy talked to it as if this was normal. Eying the mirror curiously, she wondered if the mirror was alive, or if it was a tool on Homeworld. Shaking her head, Freshwater frowned. No, this mirror wasn't alive. And if it was, the gems didn't know about it, right? They wouldn't knowingly keep a live mirror and treat it like an object, right?

Right?

The rest of the day, Freshwater was uneasy. Steven seemed to be really enjoying himself with the mirror, going to different places and using different words, loving when the mirror would repeat them. At first it was unnerving, but not harmful, but Freshwater's final straw was when the mirror learned to piece together different parts of the day to form new sentences, the first being "Steven is a new friend!"

Immediately, Freshwater had gotten up from her spot on the Beach, Steven looking up at her curiously. "Oh, good idea Freshwater! We gotta tell the gems about thi-" A loud "Noo!" Interrupted him, but Steven simply shook it off with a small smile before following Freshwater up the temple stairs.

When Steven and Freshwater burst through the door, the gems glanced up at them. Garnet and Amethyst were lounging on the couch, the shorter gem teasing Pearl about something about symmetry. Steven seemed to get distracted as the two gems began to bicker, but Freshwater cleared her throat awkwardly, lightly elbowing him. Steven looked up and seemed to get the message, his eyes growing wide again.

"Oh! Before I forget, Freshwater and I fixed the mirror!" He exclaimed excitedly, holding up the object. "Excellent, Steven!" Pearl said excitedly. "You didn't tell me it was like a person!" Steven added. As soon as Steven said this, the tension in the air skyrocketed. Freshwater frowned at the sudden change in mood, eying the gems warily. Had her previous thoughts been right?

"What?" Pearl asked, finally breaking the silence. "Here, I'll show you!" Steven said, clearing his throat. "Say hey!" He said excitedly. No response. Freshwater's frown deeper as Steven continued to try to get the mirror to respond to him, clenching her fist when it finally did.

"It shouldn't be able to do that. It should only be following orders." Pearl said, shocked. "Garnet, do something." Amethyst said, looking up at the fusion. Freshwater gulped and felt herself shrink back as the leader approached them, the mirror letting out a loud "Noo!". "You should just give us back the mirror. It'll be safer where we can watch it." Garnet said, reaching her hand out to take it. "Yeah, let's bubble it!" Amethyst said, clenching her fists. Freshwater looked horrified, glancing back at the mirror as it let out several simultaneous wails in Steven's voice.

Like Freshwater, Steven seemed unnerved as he glanced from the mirror, to Freshwater, and then back to Garnet when she called him. "Steven. Don't make me have to take it from you." She warned.

Freshwater yanked the mirror from Steven's hands, looking down at the different forms of the boy's screaming face. Steven looked shocked and looked down, dejected. Amethyst and Pearl let out sighs of relief and Garnet nodded. "Thank you Freshwater." She said, reaching out again for the still screaming mirror. To her surprise, however, the gem clutched it to her chest, shaking her head desperately and backing up towards the door.

No. This wasn't right. Freshwater thought, her eyes darting from the fusion to the mirror. There was so much emotion in the mechanic voice, so how could It not be a living thing? "It...It doesn't wanna go with you." Freshwater said shakily, Garnet looked shocked, but she quickly recovered. "Freshwater. It's just a mirror. It can't 'want' anything." The fusion said, reaching her hand out further to take it from her and end this mess.

Just as Freshwater thought the fusion would succeed in taking the mirror, Steven struck the fusion across the face, yelling "It wants to be with me!" Freshwater gaped as the leader's glasses flew off her face, landing on the floor a few feet away.

Steven didn't seem to register what he had done until the fusion recovered, her eyes opening as she slowly turned to Steven and Freshwater. Amethyst and Pearl just looked shocked, Pearl hiding behind the purple gem and Amethyst letting out a loud gasp.

Before the fusion could punish them, though, Freshwater grabbed Steven's arm and practically dragged him out of the temple, the boy shouting out a loud "I'm sorry! As they fled to the beach.

Freshwater and Steven didn't stop until they were safely hidden behind a large rock. "What are we gonna do?" Steven asked, glancing up at the mirror clutched in Freshwater's shaking hands. "What's their problem with you?" Freshwater murmured, bringing the mirror to her face. The images on the mirror shook rapidly, but didn't speak. "Are you trying to say something?" Steven asked.

In response, the mirror put together the most clips Freshwater had seen it use. "Away from home. Let. Me. Out!" Freshwater gaped at the mirror as Steven started to freak out. "I don't underst-" he was interrupted by the sound of voices calling out tofor the pair. "We want to help you, what can we do?" He demanded, glancing anxiously from the mirror to where the voices were coming from. The pair watched as the gem depicted an image of Freshwater grasping onto the gemstone on the mirror and pulling it free.

Freshwater gulped as she immediately turned the mirror around. As shown, the mirror did in fact have a gemstone. She fingered it lightly, the voices in her head screaming. She had been right! The Crystal Gems had known about the mirror being alive, and what was worse was the mirror was in fact a gem. A gem who was stuck in a mirror, just as she had been stuck in that cursed bubble for over four thousand years.

Freshwater grit her teeth as she grabbed the gemstone and pulled, grunting loudly. As she did so, the water at the beach made intricate patterns at her and Steven's feet. Nonetheless, though, Freshwater continued to pull, the adrenaline of that day finally momentarily forcing all her knowledge as a Pearl back.

Just when Freshwater thought she would give out from the sheer force she was using, the gemstone finally came free, leaving Freshwater with nothing but a bright blue clenched fist in one hand and a teardrop shaped gemstone in the other. For a brief second, Freshwater thought she had destroyed it, but instead it was lifted from her hands and drifted to the shoreline. Then, there was bright flash of light, forcing Steven and Freshwater to cover their eyes.

When Freshwater opened her eyes and lowered her gaze, she saw a dark blue figure crumpled into a mess on the shoreline. Freshwater and Steven exchanged a look as the gem weakly picked herself up and turned her head, revealing her mirror-like eyes.

The gem looked shocked at having been freed, but when she saw Steven and Freshwater, she calmed slightly, in awe before saying something that Freshwater had never heard someone say to her before.

"Thank you."


	9. Pork Chops and HotDogs

Steven and Freshwater exchanged a look before rushing over to help the fallen gem. "You actually talked to me! You helped me!" The blue gem said, shocked. Straightening up, she looked between them. "It's Steven and Freshwater, right?" Steven nodded in confirmation. "I'm Lapis. Are you two really Crystal Gems?" Lapis asked, tilting her head to the side.

Freshwater frowned. Was she a Crystal Gem? Yes she was serving them, but it felt more like an alliance, and truthfully she didn't feel part of the group. "Well, I am, but I think Freshwater is still on the fence." Steven explained, offering Freshwater a small smile. "But, you set me free." Lapis said, confused.

Steven arched an eyebrow, confused. Why was that weird? Weren't the Crystal Gems the go-

"Steven! Freshwater!" The gems in question jumped at the sound of Garnet's furious voice. Gulping, Freshwater turned to see the leader, Pearl, and Amethyst rushing up to them, summoning their weapons when they skidded to a halt. "Wait!" Steven shouted, immediately running over to them. "You." Freshwater looked back at the sound of Lapis's cold voice. "You three knew I was in there." She growled, a large hand made out of water coming up behind her.

Shaking, Freshwater, watched in horror as the hand continued to raise. "And you didn't do anything! Did you even wonder who I used to be?!" She demanded, slamming the open hand onto the beach. Freshwater cowered and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for impact. Instead, however, the arm avoided her and Steven, instead slamming down on the gems.

"What are you doing?" Steven asked, turning to the furious gem. "I'm Lapis Lazuli! And you can't keep em trapped here any more!" She yelled, not answering the question. She then turned to the ocean and pushed a hand out, making the waves part. "They're not going to let us leave." She paused before continuing. "Come with me."

Steven cocked his head to the side, confused. "Where?" The gem's eyes softened at the boy's question. "Home."

Freshwater looked between Lapis and the Crystal Gems. Return to Homeworld? She couldn't do that. Her new orders were to stay here and protect the Gems. Freshwater froze

Her orders.

She had disobeyed the gems. She'd gone on her blind instinct, made a foolish decision, fuelijg into Steven's antics - why? She didn't know this gem. It held no importance in her life up until today. She shouldn't care what happened to it.

Freshwater groaned as she fell to the ground, clenching her fists. This wasn't like her. Disobeying orders. What would Holly Blue Agate say? Oh she'd shatter her on instant, no doubt about it. Freshwater brought her hands to her pounding head as the words of the Agate suddenly rushed back to her,

 ** _"You be as perfect as you can be for the gem you serve. No exceptions. Mistakes will not (and should not) be tolerated by your master."_**

This was it. Her big mistake. The gems were going to-

"Freshwater!" Freshwater gasped as her eyes shot open. The gems were standing over her worriedly. Glancing to the side, she noticed that the gem from earlier had disappeared. "Freshwater." The Pearl's eyes returned to the leader and she immediately scooted backwards. "Please don't shatter me! I'm sorry, I was foolish. I swear it'll never happen again. Give me another chance, and I swear I'll do better!"

Garnet looked shocked as she watched the gem cower under her. Backing up, she turned to the others. "Pearl, I think you can handle this better than I. Steven, Amethyst, let's go back to the temple." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "It's been a long day." Pearl nodded at her leader's instructions as the gems stood to leave, Steven, shoving his hands into his pockets as he followed Amethyst and Garnet.

After the gems had left, Pearl turned to the blue gem, who was still curled up in a ball, visor a few feet away. "Freshwater." She soothed, squating and resting her hands on her knees. "I'm not going to hurt you." She promised.

Freshwater shook her head furiously. "But I disobeyed an order! I freed a gem, and I didn't give the mirror back to Garnet. I didn't protect you, or Steven. I couldn't fulfill my purpose! I...I should be replaced immediately." She said, squeezing her hands into tight fists around her hair.

Freshwater glanced up when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, grounding her. Looking up, she saw the pale gem's eyes for what felt like the first time. They weren't angry like the Agates, and were instead full of…..warmth? Lowering her hands from her face, Freshwater slowly pushed herself to a sitting position as Pearl spoke.

"Freshwater, listen to me." She paused before backing up. "That is not an order. You may tune me out if you like, but it is highly suggested that you listen to me." She corrected herself, bringing her other hand to rest on the gem's shoulders so that she would be forced to look her in the eye.

"I know how you were treated on Homeworld." She paused, choosing her words carefully. She wanted to make sure that Freshwater was taking all of this in. "Actually, no I don't fully know. I served a very powerful gem, but I was a Pearl nonetheless. While I was high ranking among Pearls, I am still nonetheless a Pearl. That being said, I am the closest gem you have to understanding you. You're confused, scared. You feel like by not serving, you are useless, and so you find use in the tasks you are given. You feel like by failing those tasks, you yourself are a failure." Pearl grit her teeth at the memory of her own mentality flashing back to her, clear as day. "But believe me when I tell you, that is not the case. It isn't the tasks you perform, but the gem you are, your beliefs, your core values. Not about fulfilling the tasks of some 'master'."

Freshwater stared at Pearl as she spoke to her, her eyes never leaving the Pearl's. She could tell that the pale gem was speaking from the heart, that she really did understand. "But….I'm defective." Freshwater said sadly, looking down sadly. Pearl took the gem's face in her hands, forcing the gem to return her gaze. "No, you're different. After all, if every Pork-chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs." Freshwater couldn't keep a small giggle from tumbling out of her mouth as Pearl repeated the phrase she heard Steven say every now and again.

When she realized what she had done, she covered her mouth and tried to stay serious. Pearl, however, removed her hand from her face and laughed as well. "You were right about one thing, however." She said, squeezing Freshwater's shoulder and standing, offering a hand to the blue gem. Freshwater cocked her head to the side, confused, as she took her hand and was lifted to her feet.

"You do need to learn to defend yourself."

(Hey guys! Super glad y'all are liking my story. i see your reviews and I'm loving the feedback. It feels good to know that people are actually interested in my work. Anyway, yeah things are about to really pick up, so get ready for a wild ride!)


	10. Good or Bad?

Freshwater sighed as she tried for what felt like the hundredth time that day to summon her weapon. True to her word, Pearl a plan to train her, and the first lesson was learning to summon her weapon. "I would offer to teach you how to wield a sword, but I think it would be better if I knew your gem weapon first." The pale gem had explained.

"Hey, Freshwater, don't stress so much!" Steven said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It took me forever to learn to summon my weapon. And I still can't do it sometimes." He said, frowning and looking down at his gem.

Pearl nodded, looking up from her book from the kitchen table where she sat with Garnet and Amethyst. "Yes, learning to summon a weapon is difficult. But you'll get the hang of it." She comforted, giving them a reassuring smile. "Yeah! And then you'll be able to summon it as easily as us!" Amethyst exclaimed, summoning her whip and twirling it in her hand proudly. Garnet simply nodded and gave the pair a thumbs up, a signal that Freshwater didn't understand the meaning behind but that she enjoyed anyway.

Freshwater took comfort in the fact that the defective Amethyst could summon her weapon. Maybe she could do the same? She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the thought, but nonetheless returned Pearl's smile awkwardly as she made the same hand gesture as the fusion.

The group looked up when an exhausted looking Greg burst through the door, clutching his gut and wheezing. "Uh, you buys better come check this out."

Freshwater tailed behind the gems on the way to the beach, blushing lightly when Pearl motioned for her to come stand next to them along with Beach City's other citizens, who were staring at the - wait, where was the shoreline?

"What's going on here?" A man asked, running up to Garnet with a device that appeared to magnify his voice. Freshwater rolled her eyes, recognizing the man as the same one who had almost hit her and Steven with his truck. "The ocean is gone. Obviously." The fusion said simply. "That's right! Now it's just a desert. No one wants to take a vacation to Desert City!" The man said, falling to his knees and wailing.

Freshwater cringed visibly before looking up at Pearl, confused. "That's Mayor Dewey. He's basically in charge of this place." Steven explained. Freshwater scoffed. This was The Diamond's colony. This...earthling didn't own the ground it walked on.

"It was Lapis Lazuli." Garnet said, knocking the annoying machine from the man's grasp. "Lapis Lazuli?" Steven asked, confused. "She's the gem you two released from the mirror." Pearl exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she depicted the ocean gem. Freshwater cringed and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as the citizens "oohed" and "aahed" over the depiction. "But, she's a gem just like us!" Steven said defensively.

Pearl sighed as the hologram disappeared. "There's a lot you don't know about gems, Steven."

"How did I not know the gem in that mirror could be so powerful?" Pearl murmured. After explaining what was going on, the gems, along with Connie and Freshwater, had returned to the temple. Freshwater was sitting on the couch with her eyes squeezed shut, trying again to summon her weapon.

"I'm leaving to fix what I did to our home. I was the one who set Lapis free from the mirror. Now it's my fault the ocean's gone." He said, looking down sadly. Freshwater looked up guiltily at Steven's words. "I'm gonna bring the ocean back, or get really thirsty trying!" He said, before turning to leave, determined.

Before he was out the door, however, Greg placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Wait up, kiddo. I'm coming with you." Connie placed her hand on Steven's back as well, giving him a kind smile. "I wanna help too." She paused before smirking. "Also, I feel really weird being in your house if you're not here." Pearl cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the group. "Clearly we're coming too." She said, crossing her arms with a smile.

Steven looked around at all his friends, starry-eyed before his gaze landed on Freshwater, who was still sitting on the couch. "Freshwater? Are….are you coming?"

Freshwater scoffed before standing and joining Steven and the others next to the door. "Well, I am also responsible for freeing Lapis Lazuli." She said quietly, deciding not to not mention her main reason for going was to protect Steven. She could handle the concept of failing an order by dying while protecting Steven, but to have him get himself killed because she hadn't even tried was ridiculous. Garnet gave her a thumbs up before turning to Steven. "You're ungrounded by the way."

Freshwater pursed her lips as she watched Steven and Connnie from the top of Greg's van. The pair were gripping Lion's mane as the creature ran, leading the way out of Beach City. Freshwater wasn't sure how she felt about the pink beast. It was simply another oddity that she had come to except, showing up when Steven and the others came back from a mission and seemed oddly attached to Steven in particular. It seemed to be helping them, though, so Freshwater guessed that was good?

"Room up here for one more?"

The Pearl jumped and looked up to see Garnet lifting herself onto the van. Freshwater nodded and scooted over to make more room for the fusion. After a few moments of watching the countryside fly by, Garnet finally spoke. "You seemed troubled. What's bothering you?"

The light blue gem frowned, deep in thought. "I...I don't know." Freshwater admitted, looking away. "It's just…..all of this is really new to me." She sighed before bringingg her knees to her chest, crossing her arms, and bringing her chin to rest on them. "Things here are so much different than they were when I was with Holly Blue Agate and Peridot."

"Good different, or bad different?" Freshwater's frown deepened at the fusion's question. Truthfully, she didn't know. Theoretically, she should love being with the gems. She wasn't beaten, she was treated as if she was as important as the rest of them, and she wasn't forced to do anything she didn't want to. But she still found herself with the same mentality from when she served the Agate. Pearl had been right, she felt useless when she wasn't performing tasks. She didn't feel like she was worthy enough to even stand next to the others, let alone talk to them.

Freshwater looked up when she felt a warm gem on her head. "It's okay if you don't have an answer now. Switching from Homeworld's view is difficult, and will probably be moreso for you. But hopefully one day you'll learn to appreciate this planet, or at least learn to appreciate yourself." She said, leaning back on the roof of the van and staring up at the darkening sky.

Freshwater thought about the fusion's words the rest of the way. She highly doubted that she could change so drastically, but the thought seemed nice. Sighing contently, she started to relax and allow herself to lay down in the spot next to Garnet, when she saw a massive structure made completely out of water steadily approaching. Gulping, she tugged on Garnet's uniform and pointed at it.

The fusion instantly sat up and hopped off the car roof, Freshwater at her heels. "I don't understand. What does she want with the Ocean?" Pearl asked as Freshwater came to stand close to her.

The human seemed to barely notice the danger, bravely stepping forward and observing the fish. "Whoa, look at this! It's just like a giant aquarium!" She said excitedly. Freshwater started to tell Connie that that wasn't a good idea but was cut off by the booming voice of Lapis Lazuli. "You shouldn't be here!" She shouted, making everyone jump, Connie instantly running back to stand next to Steven.

Freshwater watched in awe as Steven faced the gem bravely. "Lapis Lazuli! It's me, Steven!" He shouted. Freshwater cringed as the gem's furious face formed in the structure. "Go away! Before I make you." She threatened. Freshwater clenched her fists and rushed forward to stand next to the human-gem hybrid. "But we're Beach Summer Fun Buddies!" Steven tried to console her. Freshwater jumped back, pulling Steven with her when the face composed of water shot forward. "You're one of them. The Crystal Gems." She spat. Freshwater flinched. She still wasn't sure about that last part.

"What do you mean? We're all gems, right? Just let us help you." Steven said, insistent. "You don't understand. Just leave me alone." The voice said, finally going back into the structure. Freshwater started to place a hand on Steven's shoulder to bring him back to the gems, but her hand met only air as the boy rushed forward, slamming his hands on the structure.

"We're not leaving Lapis! Not until you give us back our ocean!" He yelled. There was a brief pause before an arm gripped the boy's shirt tightly. "I said. Leave me alone!" Lapis shouted, punching him in the stomach and sending him flying backwards into Freshwater's arms.

Freshwater steadied the boy before checking to make sure he was alright. Luckily, he only looked a little shaken up. Looking up, she saw four forms emerge, taking on the form of the Gems.

"Greg, kids, Freshwater, you stay behind us. We'll handle this." Pearl said, summoning her spear. Freshwater nodded with a sigh of relief as she and the others rushed back to stand next to the van.

As much as Freshwater would like to say the gems beat the gem easily, truthfully they were getting creamed. Pearl had defeated slashed apart one of the water beings, but as soon as she had a second one emerged. Amethyst used her whip to toss rocks at hers, but the water mutant dodged all her attacks easily, using its own whip to tie her up when she let her guard down. Even Garnet seemed to be struggling, her mutant copying her attacks exactly until the fusion finally landed a punch to her foe's face. The victory was short lived, however, as the water simply flew back into place, enclosing around her fist, before kicking her and launching her backwards. Lion was taking on the Steven water mutant, which was dodging his attacks as easily as the Amethyst one had.

"Come on, Lion!" Connie tried to encourage him. "You can take me!" Steven added, pumping his fist in the air. Lion, however, could not take on Steven, and was instead thrown back into Greg's van, narrowly missing them. Greg immediately stood before rushing over, saying "Oh no, not the van!"

Freshwater gulped as she realized the gems probably needed help, even if the assistance she could provide was bare minimum. Looking down, she saw that Steven and Connie each had the same idea, shouting "Revenge!" Before rushing the structure. Freshwater nodded as she followed closely behind them, her heart pounding at the realization she would be going up against a powerful gem without even the ability to summon her weapon.

Yelling out loud battle cries, Steven, Freshwater, and Connie rushed the Steven water mutant. Connie and Freshwater each hurled rocks, while Steven used his water gun. Their attacks, however, only seemed to fuel Lapis's rage, the mutant grabbing the three of them and enclosing their heads in water.

Freshwater struggled against the strong hold Lapis had on them, her panic only growing when she saw Steven and Connie gasping for air. The panic was relieved quickly, thankfully, as the form disappeared when Greg's van plowed through it, dropping the three of them on the ground harmlessly.

Freshwater coughed and gasped for air, silently cursing her defective form before she composed herself and walked over to the kids, helping them up. "Is this a normal mission for you?" Greg asked from the van. "Because I'm not sure how comfortable I am with you going on these any-" he was cut off when the van was.launched upwards, landing a few feet away.

Freshwater and the kids rushed over to check on Greg. Thankfully, the only thing wrong was he had a broken leg and should be fine. "Lapis, I don't want to fight anymore." Steven said angrily, standing and turning to the form that had carelessly thrown his father like a rag doll. The form didn't seem to want to be reasoned with, instead summoning a water ball. "I said, I don't wanna fight!" Steven yelled, raising his arm as the water ball hurled off of him.

Freshwater prepared herself to shoot in front of the water and protect him, but to her shock, Steven summoned his shield at just the right moment, the water harmlessly bouncing back. Freshwater watched in awe as each of the water mutants dissolved one by one, her gaze returning to the shield that was now protruding from his gem. She had been told that the boy was the son of Rose Quartz, but she had never truly believed it. "Woah." Connie murmured as Steven's shield disappeared.

Determined, Steven walked up to the structure. "Lapis, I'm coming up to see you. Please don't drown me." He said, pushing himself into the structure. The gems looked mortified as a hand formed below him, starting the ascent to the top of the structure. Freshwater let out a low growl as she rushed forward, ignoring the cries of the gems as she launched herself into the structure as well. Barely managing to wrap her body around one of the large fingers, she silently prayed that there would at least be rocks at the top, and that, unlike the water structures, Lapis Lazuli could take damage from them.


	11. Home

Freshwater clung to the hand for dear life as it rose up the structure. Just when she thought she was going to pass out, her head popped from out of the top of a water bubble, allowing her to gulp for air. Glancing over, she was relieved to see that Steven was safe, his head also bobbing above the water from a water bubble.

"What are you two doing here?" Lapis growled, glaring at the pair. "What? I…" Steven faltered before composing himself. "No, what are you doing here?" He demanded. "This thing….The ocean!" the hybrid seemed completely at a loss for words.

"This is crazy!" He shouted.

Freshwater looked around, only now realizing just how high up they were. The earth was far below them, the millions of stars looking close enough that she could touch them. It was truly beautiful, and Freshwater would be lying if she said she hadn't missed the view she'd had from the spaceship.

"Can't we work this out? We gems should be friends!" Freshwater's head whipped back around when she felt herself being pulled to face the water gem. "Don't you know anything, Steven!" She looked over at Freshwater, her eyes narrowing. "Listen to me." She said, stepping forward so she was nose to nose with the Pearl. "They don't care about other gems. All they care about is the earth." Freshwater gulped and did her best to shrink back from her form which was reflected in the gem's eyes. "But I never believed in this place." She said, stepping back and turning her gaze to a bright collection of stars.

Freshwater followed the gem's gaze, her eyes widening when they landed on them.

"Homeworld." She whispered in awe. She had never been there, but she felt a strong connection to the place and could tell Lapis felt the same. Lapis nodded as she finally dropped Steven and Freshwater onto the structure's surface.

"I just. Wanna go home." Lapis whispered, kneeling and gazing up at the place. Freshwater and Steven glanced at each other before joining the blue gem on the ground. "I know how important home can be. But that's why I'm here! You took the ocean away, and the ocean is an important part of my home." Steven explained, staring at the endless assortment of stars. "I'm only using the ocean because my gem is cracked. If I just stretch it far enough…" Lapis's voice trailed off before she sighed. "This is never going to work." She whispered, hugging herself.

Freshwater frowned as she heard the raw emotion dripping from Lapis's voice. Truthfully, she had never had a home. But it seemed like Homeworld was somehow a part of that, and even she felt a strong pull to the place.

"I can fix your gem!" Steven exclaimed, pullling Freshwater from her thoughts. Lapis and Freshwater looked shocked. She'd heard about Rose Quartz being able to heal gems, but didn't know her son could as well. "Wait, you have healing powers?" Steven beamed with excitement at the aspect of using his powers. "I know right!!" Lapis looked doubtful, but turned her back to reveal her large cracked gem. Freshwater cringed at how painful it looked.

"Okay, what should I…."

"Oh, sorry, this might be a little weird." Steven said sheepishly as Lapis and Freshwater exchanged a look. Before the two gems could further question the hybrid, Steven licked his hand and pressed it to Lapis's gem, making her and Freshwater shudder.

There was a brief moment where Freshwater feared Steven's attempt didn't work, but sure enough it did, the Lazuli's gemstone glowing brightly as beautiful water wings sprouted from her. Turning, she smiled widely at the two. "Thank you, Steven! There must be something I can do to repay you." Freshwater blushed, looking up at where she supposed Homeworld was.

She knew she could never go to Yellow Diamond for fear of being shattered, but what if she tried? What if she took a chance and went, telling them that she had served the gems and found out more information about them? What if Yellow Diamond actually thanked her, saw at least some worth inside of her worthless form? What if-

"No, just return the ocean please." Steven said, stopping Freshwater's thoughts instantly.

Lapis laughed lightly before nodding. "Sure, no problem. Thanks again."

Steven waved a hand dismissively with a small smile. "No prob Bob."

"It's….Lapis."

(Time skip)

Freshwater stared off into the distance from the temple porch, deep in thought. Now that she had knowledge of the location of Homeworld's galaxy, she couldn't stop thinking about it. Peridot and Holly Blue Agate had made it sound amazing, even for gems like her. Amazing technology, powerful gems simply living out their lives there, serving their Diamonds with as much drive as she had. Freshwater would be lying if she said she didn't want that, even if it meant being shattered by Yellow Diamond.

Because at least then she would have felt more at home than she had felt anywhere else.

"Homeworld looks great and all from here, but why do you stare at it so much?"

Freshwater glanced over at the sound of Amethyst's voice as the gem joined her outside the temple.

Freshwater shrugged in response, not tearing her eyes away from the stars. She was standing on the temple roof, staring off into the stars.

"I feel attatched to it." She said simply. Amethyst scowled. "But you were made here. Don't you want to protect this place?" Freshwater almost laughed at the thought. "No. I'm only here because protecting Steven is among my orders. I feel no attachment to this planet." Amethyst bit her lip, clenching her fist. "So what are you gonna do, run back to Homeworld and rat us out?" She demanded, raising a fist threateningly. This time, Freshwater did laugh, without humor. "As much as I'd like to, no. Ultimately, I was made for the Diamonds." She stopped with a sad sigh, finally ripping her gaze away before continuing softly. "But I'm defective. Trash underneath their gravity connectors. My existence is a direct slap in the face of the Diamonds. As is every other defective gem's."

Freshwater jumped when Amethyst slammed her fist on the temple porch and walke off angrily. Rolling her eyes, the Pearl simply returned her gaze to Homeworld with a sigh.

These Crystal Gems sure had an odd habit of glorifying clear faults in gems.


	12. Defect to Defect

Freshwater leapt from the ground, rushing her opponent with as much force as she could. She felt her fist almost manage to strike them, but they dodged her attack easily, ducking below her fist before sweeping her leg from under her and sending her crashing to the ground.

"Check. Mate." She said, a proud glint in her eyes.

Freshwater glowered and lowered her gaze as Pearl rushed over to scold her teammate. "Amethyst, go easy on her! She's still learning, and your form as the Purple Puma gives her even less of an advantage." Amethyst huffed and crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. "Chill out, P. A defect like me couldn't possibly do any damage." She spat, glaring at Freshwater.

Pearl flinched, but Freshwater simply picked herself up and smoothed out her uniform. She didn't understand why the Amethyst was still, after three earth rotations, taking her anger out on her. After all, what she had said on the porch was simply fact.

"Amethyst, you know that isn't true." Pearl said, a warning tone in her voice. "Anyhow, we've already talked about this." Amethyst scowled but uncrossed her arms. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just get back to 'training'." Pearl clasped her hands together with a broad smile, momentarily forgetting the tension. "Exactly! I'll be n you two from over there." Amethyst didn't respond as she watched Pearl walk off to sit in the bleachers, but did turn to Freshwater with another wild grin. "Or rather, your training. This is just play for me, and I gotta admit I'm having a pretty good time beating you into the ground."

"Are Freshwater and Amethyst gonna be okay?" Steven asked, glancing up at his leader from their spot on the bleachers. Garnet pursed her lips, watching as Freshwater barely managed to tuck and roll out of the way of Amethyst's signature spin attack. "A lot of the views on Homeworld are different than they are here. I'm sure when Freshwater realizes that her form doesn't hold her back, she and Amethyst will be on good terms." she said, offering the boy a reassuring smile. Steven sank down into his seat with a sad sigh. "

"And how long will that take?"

(Two weeks later)

Freshwater growled lowly as she tried desperately to summon her weapon. She was growing tired of having her gem handed to her time and time again, tired of Steven's sympathetic smiles after training, tired of Pearl's pitying "Good jobs!" and "You'll get it next time!" She wanted to win.

Freshwater's eyes popped open and she jumped off the couch with a small shriek as she felt a freezing substance slide down her uniform shirt. Looking up, she was met with Amethyst, doubled over on her back in a fit of laughter. "You….You shoulda seen your face!" Freshwater grit her teeth as she glared and lifted her uniform top, two cubes of ice falling immediately.

"Oh Diamonds, that was priceless!" Freshwater's head instantly popped up, her uniform still clutched in her hands. "Do not use the Diamonds name in vain." She said softly, glaring.

Amethyst stopped laughing immediately, realizing she'd struck a nerve. "Or what?" She said, picking herself up from the ground. Freshwater simply glared and returned her eyes to the ground, not answering. This only seemed to frustrate Amethyst even more. "Come on, or what? I'm itching for a fight. The only thing we did today was look for that stupid thing Steven _thought_ he saw in the stream, and to top it all off I had to take you back early out of fear of you getting yourself hurt." Amethyst said, advancing on Freshwater and forcing her to back up until her back was pressed up against the wall. "I've been going easy on you in training. But don't test me, because Purple Puma is itching for a fight." She said, raising a fist threateningly. Before things could escalate any further, the warp pad activated, revealing Pearl, Steven, and Garnet.

Things for them didn't seem to have gone any better, Garnet's arms crossed, and Steven and Pearl avoiding each other's gazes as they each went to different parts of the temple. "I see you two have been busy." Garnet said, turning her fierce gaze on Amethyst, who froze and immediately backed away from Freshwater, who didn't let out a sigh of relief until the purple gem had retreated into her room.

Garnet stared at Freshwater as if she was contemplating saying something, but instead turned and went to Amethyst's room. Freshwater heard bickering between the two almost as soon as the door closed, and it continued for a few minutes before the door opened and Amethyst stormed out of her room and through the temple door.

After the door slammed, Freshwater awkwardly returned to her spot on the couch and Steven grabbed a bowl of macaroni, miserably placing himself in front of the warp pad. The Pearl sighed and closed her eyes, fully intending on summoning her weapon before the night was done.

Freshwater sat there for what felt like an eternity, trying to force herself to be patient. Like Pearl had said, these things take time.

Freshwater opened her eyes, slightly irritated, when she heard what sounded like Steven yelling something about the warp stream. She started to tell him that he should probably get to bed before he got himself in any more trouble, but stopped when she saw Steven on his back with something on his chest. Looking closer, Freshwater recognized it as one of Peridot's little -

Freshwater immediately jumped up and ran over to Steven and the Robonoid, grabbing and hurling it as hard as she could.

She remembered Peridot saying something about how Robonoids each did different things according to color, and she cursed herself for being unable to remember exactly what the dark green ones did.

The ones that had paralyzed her so long ago was a dark black and blended in with the kindergarten. This one, however, was a dark green.

Freshwater and Steven gasped as the Robonoid bounced off the Warp Pad, both damaging it and cracking itself noticeably. "Sorry!" Steven yelled, rushing over to it with Freshwater at his heels to make sure it didn't hurt him. The two watched curiously as it shot an odd goo from a nozzle and onto the Warp Pad, fixing it.

The relief was short lived, however, as the Warp Pad activated and started to lift the Robonoid into the air. Before it could get away, Freshwater shoved Steven to the side to keep him from following her. She then quickly turned and pounced on it, hoping that she could keep it in place long enough for the gems to hear Steven calling their names.

Of course, though, there was no such luck.

Freshwater held onto the little Robonoid for dear life as she felt a weightless feeling fill her. She had only warped twice that day, and that was already draining her. But it would all be worth it though, since she now had the Robonoid to show the Crystal Gems.

Freshwater frowned and looked down as a lot of other Robonoids surrounded her, each that odd dark green color. Before she could react, she felt herself them trying to push her through the stream and into space, something she wasn't sure her form could handle. Freshwater kicked as she desperately held onto the Robonoid, not wanting to let it get away. Despite her efforts, however, the other robotic demons continued to relentlessly shove her until her body was thrust out of the stream and into the cold depths of space.

Freshwater felt the anxiety start to kick in as she looked around, seeing similar streams all around her, each filled with hundreds of the little robots. She could feel the coldness starting to affect her body, making her shiver and shake. Looking up, she could have sworn she saw that same galaxy. Homeworld. It was almost cruel to have her perish while staring at the one place she wanted to get to, but never could.

But that truly was how things were for her, wasn't it? A cruel life, and a cruel de-

Freshwater gasped when she felt firm arms grab her and pull her into a warp stream. Looking up, she saw that she was in the strong arms of the fusion. "Take deep breaths." She instructed, taking the Robonoid clutched in her hands.

"So this is what you saw." She said, turning to Steven who was coming from beneath them. "I don't care about that!" Steven insisted. "I do." Garnet said with a frown. "I should have listened to you. You're a Crystal Gem too." She said, adjusting her glasses. Steven gave her a warm smile before looking up at Freshwater, Amethyst and Pearl coming from beneath them, the pale gem looking worried sick. "Freshwater, are you okay? Amethyst heard the warp pad activate, and Garnet said you were floating outside the stream-" Garnet chuckled and raised a hand to silence her. "She'll be alright. It seems that her form takes on a lot of the same aspects of a human in terms of durabiliy," she turned her soft eyes to Freshwater, who looked up at the fusion thankfully. "so you need to be more careful." Freshwater nodded and buried her face in the chest of the fearless leader, again cursing her defectiveness.

Pearl frowned but nodded in agreement before gaping at the object in Garnet's hand. "What is that?" Amethyst looked it over as well. "Whoa, that thing's far out!" She said with a grin. "It's some kind of space robot." Steven explained. Freshwater nodded. "There were tons of them." She said, shuddering slightly. "And they looked like they were all going to the same place."

Just then, the warp pad finally landed, dropping them off in a place Freshwater had never seen before. In the area, there were tons of warp pads, and on one of them were tons of the little robots.

The gems all rushed over, Freshwater not protesting as Garnet still carried her tired form. "What are they doing to the Homeworld warp?" Freshwater looked up at Pearl's question. There was a warp that could take her to Homeworld? But that didn't matter. It looked horribly dam-

Everyone watched in shock as the Robonoids finished fixing the warp and backed away as the warp pad started to glow.

Garnet immediately grabbed the others in her arms and jumped away from the stream, grabbing onto a thick piece of metal that was luckily big enough to hide all of them.

Peeking around, Freshwater watched in terror as two oddly familiar figures appeared. A green one immediately started to observe the warp pad while the other, a bright blue, observed her dully. Peridot stood with an unsatisfied hum before clearing her throat. "Log date. 312. This is Peridot, performing Earth-hub maintenance check." Steven looked excited at the concept of a new gem. "Peridot. Her name is Perid-" he was cut off when Pearl and Amethyst clamped their hands over his mouth. Freshwater simply whimpered and buried her face into Garnet's shirt, for once finding comfort in the leader as the Peridot continued their report.

"Hurry it up, Peridot. We still have to do a check on our….other project." The cold voice of Holly Blue said. Peridot scoffed. "Don't rush me, Agate. It's not _my_ fault that you and that other worthless excuse for a Peridot got yourselves caught in the hands of the Crystal Clods." She snapped. Holly Blue glared. "Those 'Clods' are a lot tougher than they look. I'm lucky that they made the mistake of trying to recruit me and I got away." She said, crossing her arms. Peridot laughed. "Oh, and let me guess, so's the Defective Pearl, right? The one you let get away? The one Yellow Diamond doesn't know is potentially still alive?" The Agate paled at Peridot's words. Peridot nodded, returning her gaze to her screens with a smug smile. "Yeah, I know about that. I read up on every single report, and unlike Yellow Diamond, I have a lot of time on my hands, so I was able to notice that you never reported the status of the defect."

Holly Blue Agate composed herself before jutting a finger at the Peridot. "Look, _Peridot_ , at this point Operation Perfect Pearl is as much your mission as it is mine. If you want to report a failure, go ahead, but that would only drag you down with me." She paused. "Anyway, our latest attempt is looking almost promising. There's really no point in undoing all that hard work out of spite." Peridot sighed as she carelessly popped one of the Robonoids that had been rubbing at her foot. "Fine. Let's just get this over with so I never have to see your face again." The blue gem scowled, kicking off some of the goop that had gotten on her white heels. "Agreed." She said simply, before the two stepped onto the warp pad and were gone, the Robonoids exploding at the base.

There was a brief moment of tense silence before the panic started to sink in. "They're coming back. I can't do this! Not again!" Pearl said, putting her face in her hands. Freshwater looked up, seeing the fear in the pale gem. "We're dead. We are so dead!" For once, Freshwater agreed with the purple gem. They were dead.

"Were those other gems? Where did they come from? What were they trying to do?" Garnet put Freshwater down as Steven rambled off question after question. "It doesn't matter." She said lowly. Freshwater looked up, shocked. What did Garnet mean it didn't matter? Of course it mattered!

"They're not coming back." The fusion said through gritted teeth, raising her gauntlets and slamming them down onto the Homeworld Warp, breaking it and whatever dreams Freshwater had of returning to Homeworld.


	13. The No Home Gems

Freshwater did her best to ignore Steven reading out loud as she ducked and dodged out of the way of the Hologram Amethyst's spin attack. She was grateful that Pearl had made one for her to train with while the gems were gone, as this got rid of the awkwardness of approaching and asking if the purple gem would train with her. The hologram Pearl could also be given commands about certain attacks, allowing Freshwater to limit how many attacks the Hologram could do so she wouldn't be faced with the agonizing task of being forced into her gem for another four thousand years.

As a whole, she'd say her combat skills were getting better. In fact, she had even begun to see some advantages about not having a weapon. For example, without having to deal with the weight of a weapon, she could dodge attacks easier. She also wouldn't feel caught off guard if said weapon was knocked out of her hands. Feeling she could use this to her advantage, Freshwater decided that if she ever did learn to summon her weapon she'd work on disarming her opponent first.

For now, though, she'd just have to work on hand to hand combat.

Gritting her teeth, Freshwater launched herself at the hologram, jumping over and weaving under the complex whip patterns. Throughout many times of getting beaten, she head learned that the gem worked far better when her opponent was further away from her. When she finally got close enough, she slid to the side to avoid the punch heading for the gem on her eye before grabbing the hologram's arm in one hand and using her momentum to spin and fling it at the wall, effectively making it dissappear in a flash of light.

Freshwater put her hands on her knees, panting. She had been trying time and time again to get that technique to work, and she finally felt satisfied with the results, successfully pulling off the technique for the past hour.

"Holy smokes."

Freshwater jumped at the sound of Amethyst's shocked voice from the Warp Pad. Gulping, she looked around at the considerable damage to the house. A broken television set, several indentations on the wall from where Freshwater had been thrown or punched into, broken windows. Turning to the Warp Pad where Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet stood, each holding a pile of Robonoids, she started to apologize profusely.

"I'm sorry! I swear I'll get all of this cleaned up. I was just-"

"Training!" Steven said, carelessly throwing his book down before rushing forward and launching himself into the arms of the taller gem. Freshwater immediately caught him and went to put him down but was stopped when he wrapped his small form around her body.

Frowning awkwardly, Freshwater glanced up at the others. Garnet had carelessly dropped the Robonoids and now stood with a broad grin on her face. Pearl was staring around the room at the damage, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips nonetheless. And Amethyst? Well Freshwater couldn't really decipher Amethyst's emotions. It looked like a combination of anger and shock though. "I...I am not familiar with this form of attack." Freshwater said softly, looking down at the boy's form. Steven laughed. "it isn't an attack. It's a hug, remember?" he said, squeezing the gem tighter. Freshwater nodded awkwardly and did her best to return the "hug". In the past, she had received the awkward physical contact, but she wasn't very good at returning it.

Garnet gave Freshwater a thumbs up at her attempt as Pearl walked over to congratulate the gem. "You did really well. But in the future, keep the training either in the arena or take it outside, okay?" She said, placing her hands on her student's shoulders and giving her a small smile.

Freshwater returned the smile sheepishly. "Hey Freshie." The gem was slightly annoyed but looked up at the nickname. "You should probably take a break." Amethyst said simply, frowning and looking away.

Freshwater statted to question her but stopped when Steven's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! Freshwater's been treating all day, she must be tired." The gem in question rolled her eyes. "Gems do not get tired, Steven." She paused for a moment before giving him a small smile. "But thank you for the offer."

The next day, Freshwater did end up giving into Steven's demands, forcing herself to sit on the couch with him as he read. The gems, of course, were on another mission, hunting for more of the Robonoids.

When they finally got back, Steven cast his book to the floor and rushed to meet them, Freshwater rolling her eyes and picked it up, setting it neatly on the couch. Like the day before, each gem held a handful of Robonoids. Well, all except Amethyst, who only held one.

"Hey, it's those things from the galaxy warp. Why'd you bring them home?" Steven asked curiously.

"We can't have them reactivating and fixing the Homeworld Warp."

"Hey Steven, check this out!" Amethyst interrupted the pale gem, squeezing her Robonoid and letting out a loud cackle as it burst, splattering Freshwater, herself, and Pearl. Freshwater glowered and went where clothes were usually washed, reaching into the dryer and taking out a warm towel. When she came back, she sensed that the mood had shifted to a more serious one.

"It was something that would have damaged the Earth," Freshwater re-entered the temple as Pearl spoke, warm towel in hand. "Some gems, like your mother, Garnet, and myself, felt that this was unfair to the life that already existed here. And so we swore to never let the Earth be used for their purposes. Even if it meant-"

Freshwater yanked the towel out of harm's way as Amethyst popped another Robonoid while Pear was talking. Pearl let out a frustrated grunt, but ignored the purple gem as she finished. "Even if it meant we could never go home."

Freshwater frowned as she stepped forward, handing the rag to who she saw as her leader. She really didn't understand why the gems felt so attached to this place. Pearl offered a smile of thanks before using the towel to clean herself.

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Steven's eyes lit up as he went into an excited explanation about how the gems were like some characters in a book he was reading called The No Homeboys. Pearl and Freshwater sighed, Pearl immediately explaining that they, or at least the gems, were standing in their home at that moment. Garnet seemed to agree, but didn't say anything as the two walked off with what was left of the unpopped Robonoids.

Freshwater, on the other hand, stayed with Steven and Amethyst. Steven was okay on his own, but with his "Go Get Em!" attitude and Amethyst's wild side, she knew they were nothing but trouble.

Now, for instance, they were talking about going "On the run" like the characters in Steven's book. Freshwater knew this wasn't a good idea, but she doubted she could convince them otherwise and decided to join them.

After all, in some sick twisted way, she was the closest thing to the "No Home Boy's they had.

To her surprise, Amethyst didn't object to Freshwater joining them on their strange journey out of Beach City and through the countryside, Steven and Amethyst singing some made up song all the while. She resisted the urge to sing, but gave in when one particular lyric got to her.

Home's a place that I have never known.

It was true. Freshwater felt like Homeworld was her home, but how could she know that? She was made on Earth, so why didn't she feel the same passion Amethyst felt for it? Logically, Freshwater should feel this strong attachment, as she had never spent time on Homeworld before. So yes, to her home was a place that she had never known.

And that's why she was on the run.


	14. The Kindergarten

Freshwater watched the countryside passed by, Steven and Amethyst eating food they'd brought. Or rather Amethyst ate hers. Steven had had his stolen by a creepy creature with black spots over his eyes and a black and white tail. Luckily, though, Freshwater had scared it off, but not before it got away with Steven's dinner.

"Amethyst, I wanna go home now." Steven finally said, giving in to the fact that he was wrong about his desire to want to be a No Home Boy. Amethyst didn't answer, instead going to sit next to Freshwater, dangling her legs off the edge of the freight car. Steven frowned, confused, as he joined the pair as well. "I'm sure Amethyst and Pearl are worried sick about us. Wondering when we're coming home?"

"That's not my home." Amethyst said, cutting him off and not turning away. "Oh, yeah, you're from Homeworld!" Steven said, snapping his fingers. "That's not my home either!" Freshwater jumped at the anger in Amethyst's voice. She wasn't from Homeworld? "Then, where are you from?" Steven asked, voicing Freshwater's thoughts.

The fire in Amethyst's eyes seemed to die down momentarily as she turned to the pair. "I'll show you."

Freshwater grimaced as she, Steven, and Amethyst stepped into a place where the grass was dead, along with everything around it. The whole place looked like a wreck, but the Pearl had an odd feeling that she'd been here before as she walked by all the differently shaped holes around her, and big machines with metal tips at the ends.

"I feel like I've been here before." Freshwater said, sliding a hand under her visor and rubbing her gem lightly. Amethyst let out an annoyed puff of air. "I doubt it. This is the Prime Kindergarten."

Freshwater froze in her tracks. The Prime Kindergarten. Yes, she remembered this place. This was where she'd been poofed all those years ago, where Holly Blue Agate had nearly taken her gem and smashed it into bits and pieces.

"We can't stay here." Freshwater whispered.

The two gems, however, didn't seem to have heard her as Amethyst strode up confidently to her exit hole. Freshwater gulped as she followed cautiously. Maybe she was overly paranoid. Five thousand years later, and the gems were still here, so that meant they were safe, right?

Just as Freshwater had this thought, she heard the Warp Pad activate behind her. "There you are." snapped a furious Pearl jumping down and landing right in front of her. "Garnet said you'd be here but i didn't believe it. Amethyst, Freshwater, what were you _thinking_ bringing Steven to a Kindergarten?" Freshwater gulped at her teacher's anger, but before she could stutter out an excuse or apology, Amethyst cut in. "I dunno. We were in the neighborhood." She said, angrily kicking a rock.

Steven frowned before turning to Pearl. "Pearl, was Amethyst really made here?" Pearl ignored the question before turning back to the Purple gem. "How much did you tell him?" She demanded.

"What? You mean about the bad thing? How this _bad_ place is where _bad_ gems came to grow more _bad_ gems? Is **_that_** what you're talking about?!" Amethyst snapped, stomping her foot on the ground.

"They grew other gems here?" Steven asked, awestruck. "Amethyst, he's not ready!" The purple gem only ignored Pearl's pleas, the two gems beginning to go back and forth.

"Oh but don't worry Steven, everything's just fine now."

"Amethyst-"

"It all worked out! We won!"

"Stop!"

"And then they shut this place down-"

"Stop."

"So the Earth would be safe-"

"Stop!"

"From parasites like **_me_**!"

"Amethyst." Pearl said, stepping in front of Steven, finally having had enough. "That is _enough_!"

"Well...You're only partially wrong." Freshwater whispered, drawing the attention of the gems. "Oh yeah? How could you possibly figure that?" Amethyst demanded, turning and crossing her arms.

Freshwater grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut as she slammed her fist on the ground, her anger finally getting the better of her. "Because, you clod, _I'm_ the reason this place was shut down!" She shouted, her voice echoing off the walls of the Kindergarten, louder than it had ever been.

After she composed herself, the gem opened her eyes, expecting to be under the gaze of everyone, but truthfully, she couldn't see much of anything thanks to something that was protruding out of the gemstone on her right, and only good, eye.

Curiously, Freshwater reached her hand up to her face, realizing her visor was gone again. Freshwater did her best to push away the anxiety that she her face was conpletely exposed, revealing her completely dark blue (and useless) eye, along with her bright white gemstone.

Frowning, she grabbed and pulled whatever thing was somehow lodged into her gem, looking down in shock when it popped free.

Freshwater wasn't sure how she'd done it, or why, especially since she honestly didn't feel like she was threatened. But she had.

In the heat of her emotions, she had managed to summon her weapon and was now tightly grasping a knife about the size of her forearm.


	15. The Secret

"So, do you feel any better?"

Steven asked, swinging his legs as he sat on the couch. "I don't know." Freshwater said simply, running her hand along her gem and hoping that the weapon would appear as it had last time. Unfortunately, Freshwater had been so awestruck at her weapon that she had dropped it, the thing shattering in a pool of light instantly.

Thankfully, after returning from the Kindergarten (and receiving an extremely long lecture about how from now on each gem would have to ask permission before going anywhere outside of Beach City) everything went back to normal. The gems hadn't even pressed her about her outburst in the Kindergarten, but Freshwater was pretty sure the only reason they hadn't was because Steven had been there. She had no doubt in her mind, though, that if she were caught alone she would be questioned, and reasonably so. After all, all gems had certain ways of summoning their weapons, so did that hers were tied to her emotions? Tragic, if they were, since so far the only strong emotions she had felt were fear of being shattered and the anger, and she doubted she could use her anger very often, as it had only shown when she was physically incapable of holding back anymore. In fact, Freshwater felt that being angry wasn't becoming of her, or any Pearl for that matter.

"Well, hey look on the bright side! Now that Pearl knows your weapon, you two can start training with it!" Steven said excitedly, stars filling his eyes. Freshwater frowned and rubbed her chin, thinking. "Well, yes, but where would I get another weapon?" She asked, looking down at the boy.

Freshwater looked around the Strawberry Battlefield curiously as the group walked, doing her best not to gawk at the weapons that were easily as tall as her. Steven seemed just as awed as she was as Pearl spoke. "This was the site of a historic battle. Every weapon here was left by a gem over five thousand years ago." She explained, ducking under a battle axe that was as big as the Lion walking alongside Steven.

"I don't like to disturb it, but Garnet said we can't just leave these lying arou-". Pearl gasped and turned as the battle axe flew dangerously close overhead. "Never know when you might need one of these." The fusion said, shouldering the battle axe as if it wasn't four or five times her size.

"I need one of those all the time!" Steven said with a broad smile. "Why don't you look for one that's more….you?" Pearl said with a small chuckle. Steven nodded in agreement before turning to Freshwater and Lion. "Lion, Freshwater, come help me look?" Freshwater nodded and started to follow him, but Lion walked off in the opposite direction. "You really need to train that thing better." Pearl muttered as Freshwater walked off to look for a weapon of her own.

Looking around the battlefield, Freshwater thought she would never find a weapon small enough. Just when she was about to turn back in defeat, however, a bright purple glint caught her attention. Raising an eyebrow curiously, Freshwater knelt and carefully picked it up and dusted it off. It was a small purple sword, small enough, in fact, that when she gripped the handle the 'T' of the weapon rested on her fist. She contemplated tossing it down and continuing her search, but decided against it. Who knows, maybe she'd run into the gem that had owned it one day. Until then, though, she would use it, recognizing the potential it had for her up close and personal attack style.

As Freshwater came up to the gems, Pearl was yanking a bright pink scabbard out of Lion's mouth. Wait….was that - no it couldn't be. Rose wouldn't just leave her scabbard lying here after five thousand years, would she? So where was the sword?

"Mom fought here?" Steven asked curiously. Pearl nodded, a warm smile coming to her face. "That's right! And I fought alongside her!" Freshwater suppressed the shudder that ran down her spine. She had almost forgotten that Rose Quartz was the highly respected leader, the equivalent of the Diamonds for the gems.

"Man I wish I would have seen it!" Amethyst said. Freshwater glowered. She didn't. The battle sounded terrifying, a -

"Melstrum of destruction and death." Freshwater nodded at the fusion's words. There was nothing good about this war, and if Freshwater remembered correctly, the Crystal Gems had won. Despite this, however, Pearl seemed ecstatic. "Your mother lead us to glorious victory. The odds were against us, and our hearts were uncertain. But we chose to fight alongside Rose and here, we made our stand against our Homeworld!"

Steven grinned at the pale gem's words and Freshwater forced herself to do the same. Rebelling against Homeworld seemed like the dumbest thing any gem could ever do, a suicide mission. Rose Quartz had lead herself and countless others to their death.

So why was Pearl so attached to her?

\--

Freshwater wouldn't dare go against the Pearl's opinion of Rose, but she had to admit that she was curious. So, when Steven asked about what his mother was like, Freshwater stuck around to listen rather than helping Amethyst and Garnet shove the battle axe through the temple door.

"She was courageous, and brilliant. And beautiful." Pearl said softly, gazing at the portrait above the front door. Freshwater and Steven followed her gaze, but truthfully all Freshwater saw was a gem who had single-handedly caused the deaths of thousands.

"For all this time, it's been incomplete." Pearl whispered, handing the scabbard to Steven, who thanked her and took it carefully. "Well, let's complete it!" He said, determined. "Where's the sword?" Freshwater looked up as well as Garnet and Amethyst finally managed to pull the battleaxe into the temple.

Pearl glanced at Freshwater hesitantly. "Oh, I don't know." She said, waving a hand dismissively. "Rose kept a lot of secrets." She said, twiddling with her fingers. Steven looked down, dejected. "Oh….Well, at least I still have something to remember her by!" He said, his face brightening up. Pearl paused for a moment before taking the scabbard back from Steven and handing it to Freshwater, who looked shocked. "Freshwater, do me a favor and put this in my room, okay? Just knock when you're done." She said, turning and using her gem on the door to open it. Freshwater glanced down at the scabbard before nodding and walking through, looking around and placing the scabbard on one of the few patches of dry spots in the room with high towers of water.

Cringing at how much it reminded her of her events with Lapis Lazuli, Freshwater quickly rushed back to the door and raised a fist to knock but stopped when she heard what Pearl was saying. "It's a secret, even to Garnet and Amethyst. Rose had a place that she kept hidden from all but me. But you have her gem! That place is yours now! And I can show it to you!" Freshwater's eyes widened as she backed away from the door. A secret place only known by Pearl, and soon Steven? Garnet had to know about this. Freshwater turned from the door to do just that, but stopped herself.

No. The _Diamonds_ had to know about this.

Freshwater knocked on the temple door and suppressed a smile as Pearl opened it, a plan already forming in her mind.


	16. Progress?

Freshwater barely managed to warp back to the temple in time, picking up one of Steven's book and pretending to read. For the past two weeks, she had been sneaking off to the Kindergarten to look for Holly Blue and Peridot. So far, the fusion had almost caught her twice, walking in mere seconds after Freshwater stepped off the Warp Pad. If she played her cards right, this would all go as planned, but she were ever caught going out on her own she was a dead gem.

Looking up, she offered the gems a small wave. Garnet looked at her suspiciously, but Amethyst and Steven waved back. "Hey, you finally picked up the book I told you about! Did you like it? Is it any good?" He asked as Garnet and Pearl began to put the groceries away. Freshwater blushed and did her best to make up a lie. "I don't know. I didn't get very far into it." She admitted, rubbing her arm sheepishly.

Steven waved a hand dismissively, his grin not faltering. "Don't worry about it! The beginning is kinda slow anyway." Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, why read books when you can watch the movie?" Steven frowned. "Well, because the book is almost never as good!" He explained, his eyes lighting up a moment later. "Speaking of which, Connie and I are going to see another movie tonight! We really liked the Dogcopter adaptation, and they're doing another one. It premeirs tonight!" He said, hopping from foot to foot with excitement.

Pearl closed the fridge raptor door and turned, crossing her arms. "And where is this theater?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Steven's form seemed to deflate immediately. He had forgotten that since his little escapade with Amethyst and Freshwater he wasn't allowed outside of Beach City without Garnet or Pearl at his side. "Just outside of Beach City." He said glumly. Before Pearl could crush the boy's hopes anymore, Freshwater cleared her throat. "I can take him. After all, it wasn't his fault we took him to the Kindergarten." She said softly.

Garnet and Pearl exchanged a look, Pearl giving in nonetheless with a sigh. "Fine." Steven let out a loud whoop and grabbed Freshwater's hand, dragging her out the door. "Be back by ten, you two!" Pearl sighed, doubting the two had even heard her over the loud bang of the temple door.

"Has Freshie been acting…..off to you guys?" Amethyst asked as soon as the door closed behind Steven and Freshwater. Pearl pursed her lips and stroked her chin, nodding slightly. "Yes, but it's a good weird. She has improved drastically in her training, and seems to do more than just 'tolerate' us."

"Right, but why? Surely the whole Rose situation didn't have that much of an affect on her, making her completely shift her view of Homeworld? If anything, she should be acting more….Pearlish?" Garnet said, referring to when Pearl had had a moment of weakness after she and Steven returned from a trip from who knew where. It had been truly uncomfortable for everyone, but Freshwater, Steven, and Lion had all gone to comfort her, Garnet and Amethyst feeling they couldn't help her as well as the trio could.

Pearl physically cringed at the reminder of her moment of weakness. She felt truly awful about lashing out at Steven. "While I am extremely ashamed of the way I acted, maybe it showed her that everyone has these moments, not just…..'defective' gems." She said, putting air quotes around the word 'defective' and rolling her eyes.

Garnet sat on the couch, deep in thought. To her, it would make more sense for Freshwater to grow more set in her ways, to think that because Pearl was still extremely attached to Rose Quartz five thousand years later Freshwater was incapable of change. "I say we keep an eye on her." Garnet finally said. "I can appreciate Freshwater's sudden desire to change, but it's best to be on our toes." The fusion said, adjusting her glasses. As she had said, Garnet appreciated the concept that Freshwater was changing, but where had it come from? Why was it so drastic? And where had it been for the past thirteen years?

Over the next month, the gems followed Garnet's instructions to the best of their ability. At night, Pearl 'guarded' the warp pad, and throughout the day, Freshwater was either taken on various missions or training with Pearl. As the start of the next month of this started, though, the gems had called another meeting and lessened the precautions, deciding Freshwater was, in fact, trying to change. That night, Pearl was ecstatic. To her, it was never too late for a change.

\--

Freshwater stretched and let out a sigh of relief as she finally stepped inside the Kindergarten. She had missed this place, and was glad that she had finally thrown off the Gems. For a moment, she had feared them discovering her plans, but thank the Diamonds she had outwitted them, waiting a few days after they'd stopped the nearly 24/7 surveillance before taking the scenic route that she, Amethyst, and Steven had taken oh so long ago. On the bright side, though, her training had inproved drastically and she had even managed to poof the Amethyst once.

Presently, she stood in front of a Warp Pad tucked deep in the Kindergarten, a slightly damaged green Robonoid clutched in her hands. Before the Crystal Clods had started their stupid surveillance, she had managed to find the little robot, but decided against activating the Warp Pad then due to the fact that the Sun had begun to rise. That day was the closest she'd ever been to getting caught, and oddly enough it filled her with a sense of excitement. The Pearl didn't know whether she should laugh or cry at the thought of rebellion filling her with anything other than fear. Maybe the gems had more of an impact on her than she thought?

Scowling and shaking the thoughts away, Freshwater placed the damaged Robonoid on the Warp Pad and activated it, watching as it did its job, its movements painfully slow. The Pearl sighed and sat on the ground. She'd waited a month just to get back to the Kindergarten, so what was a few more hours?

After a brief moment, Freshwater's mind wandered back to her thoughts on rebellion. Truthfully, she felt conflicted. The Pearl she used to be physically could not handle the concept of disobeying any order. But now that she had realized that she didn't just need the orders of the gems, but the orders of the Diamonds she was made for, she felt she could do anything to get that. Emotional manipulation, potentially turning the gems into Homeworld, relaying all the information she had to the Diamonds. She'd do it all to get home and serve who she knew, without a doubt, she was made for. After all, this started as a rebellion, and it was still continuing on as a rebellion.

"Well, since the Rebellion is so precious to them," The Pearl said to herself, feeling a broad grin spread across her face as the Robonoid finally finished, taking a few more steps and collapsing, finally damaged to the point of no repair.

"Then I'm gonna give them one they'll _never_ forget


	17. Unhappy Reunion

Freshwater hid behind an injector, her hands tightly clasped in front of her. A while ago, she had left an anonymous note for the two gems, telling them she had potentially valuable information and would meet them in person to discuss it. The date, however, had long passed, and she wasn't even sure if the gems had shown, and if they had if they would bother showing up again.

She stood there nervously, looking up at the sky that was just beginning to turn from jet black to the dark navy blue. She'd have to head back in a few hours if she wanted to keep under the radar.

Just as the Pearl started to turn to start the long treck back, she heard the Warp Pad activate, making her jump. "This is starting to get ridiculous." a nasal voice was ranting. "First we get an anonymous message from some clod, and then they don't show up. My Robonoids have been wandering this Kindergarten, and I haven't gotten any reports of any new gems." Holly Blue Agate scowled. "I don't know what you expected. Those little machines are about as useless as those Crystal Gems." she sighed. "Well the thought of getting the upper hand was nice for once, but clearly this gem either is just stupid or was apprehended before they could meet us. Let's just forget it and continue on schedule." she muttered, stepping back onto the Warp Pad.

"No, wait! Don't go." Freshwater shouted, stepping from behind the injector to face her former gem. Upon seeing the Defect, the two gems' exchanged a look, seeming to be on the same page. Holly Blue rushed forward and grabbed the gem by her collar, lifting her off the ground. "What kind of sick joke is this?" she demanded, clenching the paper she held in her hands.

"It's not a joke." Freshwater said, surprised at the calmness in her voice. She'd been in this position before, but now the Agate seemed a lot less threatening, and more annoying. Pearl would have described her as a hot-head. Peridot scoffed. "So you joined the Crystal Clods? Man, you really are defective." she spat, looking the Pearl up and down. "Well what are you waiting for, you clod? We can finally make this right and undo this horrible mistake."

"You must have some sort of death wish, baiting us to come back to Earth knowing I'd shatter you on sight." Holly Blue Agate said, ignoring the Peridot as she turned her fierce gaze to Freshwater. Freshwater shrugged, unfazed. "Staying on Earth is a death wish, Miss. Holly Blue." she said, strumming the blue gem's pride for all it was worth. "I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to, and anyway the gems don't give me much of anything to do. Like you said five thousand years ago. I'm a Pearl." she scowled, looking down at the ground below her.

"I'm useless on my own. I need someone to tell me what to do." she raised her gaze. "And if it isn't the Diamonds, then I'll settle for anyone willing to take me."

There was a brief silence as Holly Blue contemplated her options. "Shatter me if you wish, but if you do that you're throwing away your only outlet to the gems, along with any information I learned about them." Freshwater finished, closing her eyes and awaiting the Agate's decision. She had fully accepted the concept that she may be shattered for this, but in her head it was worth it.

She would do anything to get back home and fulfill her purpose.

\--

Freshwater saluted the Agate and Peridot as their forms disappeared before turning and making her way back to Beach City, a wide, goofy grin on her face. As she had expected, the gems had interrogated her, asking her about every little detail she knew, and Freshwater had answered them respectfully, easily falling back into the rules the Agate had taught her so long ago. Truthfully, she had known the gems wouldn't throw her away. Like it or not, she knew more than they did, and they were going to use that. But she had still been slightly anxious about them somehow knowing as much, if not more, than herself. Thankfully, though that hadn't been the case, and everything was slowly falling into place.

Planning everything to the letter, Freshwater stopped by The Big Donut to grab breakfast for Steven. The interrogation had taken longer than she had expected, the sun now just starting to rise. Approaching the door to the temple, however, she felt a lump form in her throat. The lights were still off, the place eerily silent. Gulping, she glanced down at the bag of donuts, mentally bracing herself as she opened the door.

"Hello, everyone. Sorry if I worried any of you. I went to get St-"

Freshwater's excuses were cut short when Steven tackled her, wrapping her up in a bear hug that practically lifted her off the ground, the bag of pastries falling at her feet. "Happy Birthday, Freshwater!" He exclaimed excitedly. Freshwater raised an eyebrow, confused. The gems had celebrated Steven's birth every year, but truthfully she didn't understand the concept. And if she did, she couldn't have possibly known exactly when she came into existence, and doubted she would remember such useless information.

"Steven, gems don't celebrate birthdays. And where are the other gems?" She asked, trying to seem nonchalant. Steven released her from his vice grip, looking up at her starry eyed. "I know, but you've changed a lot lately! I didn't know how or when to celebrate it, but Pearl said today marks the the seventh year of you being here! It's exciting!" He said, picking up the bag and thanking her. "Garnet and the others actually went to dad's to get help on making a cake!" He explained, biting into a pastry. "Even if you don't eat, it's a birthday tradition!"

"Okay Steven. I will participate in your…...birthday activities." Freshwater said, the boy letting out a loud whoop and pumping his fists into the air before she'd even finished her sentence. The Pearl couldn't suppress a smile at his excitement as he began rambling about how pure, important, and wholesome the day was going to be.

As promised, Steven dragged Freshwater and the gems through different birthday activities excitedly. After the gems had gotten home, Pearl had lead them in making a cake, placing it in the fridge for later. Then they'd all spent the rest of the day at Funland, having lunch at Fish Stu Pizza. To Steven, the day had gone better than expected, Freshwater even awkwardly eating little bits of the cake they'd made for her.

When they finally got back to the temple and Steven was safely tucked into bed, Freshwater collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. The whole day the Pearl felt like she was walking on eggshells. The gems acted like they normally did, but she felt like they wanted to ask where Freshwater had been when they'd gone to get cake advice from Greg, but didn't because they didn't want to spoil Steven's good mood. So she did her best to throw them off again, forcing smiles and participating in all of the activities presented to her as if they were the only things that mattered to her, even eating that disgusting cake.

She resisted the urge to throw it up then and leaned back, closing her eyes as she rested her head on the couch cushions. After a few hours, she stood and made her way to the door as quietly as she could. For a brief moment, she hesitated, her hand hovering over the knob. What if the gems were still awake, and carefully listening to make sure nothing odd was going on? Looking back at the gem door worriedly, she shook her head. Even if the gems were listening before, it had been four or five hours, so they'd probably have let their guard down. Glancing back at the closed temple door, she almost laughed at her momentary weakness before silently grasping the door handle and pulling it open as quietly as she could. Just as she was halfway out the door, however, she felt the all too familiar feeling of something wrapping itself tightly around her body. She only had enough time to let out a gasp of surprise before she was roughly pulled back into the temple, landing at her attacker's feet with a pained grunt, the firm whip not releasing its hold.

Her attacker grinned down at her, tightly gripping the end of the whip. "Purple Puma saves the day again."


	18. Three Days

Freshwater glared at one of the many piles in Amethyst's room, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead, refusing to look up at the three gems in front of her. "Why were you trying to leave the temple at three-o-clock in the morning?" Garnet asked for the second time. Her voice was soft, but cold. There was a beat of silence, the tension so intense you could cut through it with a knife.

Pearl sighed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Freshwater, you've been acting really strange lately. We just want to know what's bothering you." her eyes softened. "We want to help you. You've been here for a while, and we are ecstatic that you want to change." a faint blush tinted her cheeks as she looked away.

"We see you as a part of our family. We see you as a Crystal Gem."

Freshwater's head jolted up automatically, hot anger rushing over her. She may have been a lot of things. Defective, a clod, wrong. But a Crystal Gem? That was the biggest insult anyone could have ever said to her. She opened her mouth to lash out, but closed it again, not wanting to accidentally expose her plan in a fit of rage. So instead, she did something she turned to her standard attack, an effective trick that she was relying more and more on as her plan progressed.

Emotional manipulation.

Garnet raised an eyebrow at the gems reaction. She resonated with Pearl's statement as well, viewing Freshwater as she viewed Pearl. Someone who had been through a lot, but was progressing, healing from her trauma. While the process had taken a while to start, she was glad that she had started it. She'd even go as far as to say that she looked to the shorter gem for strength in the same way she looked to Pearl for it.

"Whoa, dude chill. It's a compliment." Amethyst said, raising her hands defensively, the whip dissappearing with a loud snap.

"Well, it's a compliment that's empty." Freshwater snapped, clenching her fists from her spot on the floor. "You don't see me as a Crystal Gem." she said, pointing an accusatory finger at the gems. "I thought you did, and maybe you thought you did too. But you showed me otherwise when I was 'acting weird'. Instead of asking me what was wrong, like you claim to have wanted to" she said, pausing to glare at Pearl before addressing the group as a whole again, "You watch me like I'm the bad person. Like _I'm_ the one who bubbled a gem for thousands of years, like _I'm_ the one who shattered a Diamond. You say you want me to get better, but when I express interest in changing, you somehow think I'm out to get you?" she glared at the ground. "Trust me, if I wanted to leave, I would have left with Lapis Lazuli." she finished softly.

The gems looked shocked as they exchanged a look. Or rather, Amethyst and Garnet looked shocked. Pearl looked ashamed. After all, she was the one who had first expressed an interest in changing Freshwater, and, as the gem had said, now she had punished her for doing so. Freshwater had every right to be upset with them.

Rose would be truly ashamed.

Freshwater finally stood from her place on the ground, pushing her visor up. "And, for your information, I was going to the Kindergarten." she glanced at the Amethyst. "Because, yeah. I missed it. It's more of a home to me than here, Homeworld, and every other place in this worthless galaxy. Now," she said, approaching the gems and looking the fusion in the eye. "May I please return there? I need some time to think."

\--

"You guys might want to hurry it up. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." Freshwater said, dropping her salute. Peridot sighed. "Yes, yes I know. Unfortunately, we had to stop and pick up a runaway gem, a Lapis Lazuli. She's in one of the cells now, and apparently was with the Crystal Gems at one point. She doesn't know nearly as much though." she said. Freshwater suppressed the urge to groan. "Does she know about…..the plan?" she asked, trying to stay as vain as possible on the off chance that the gem was nearby. Peridot raised an eyebrow. "No? There's no point in her knowing. Why?"

"She was there while I was still under the watch of the Crystal Gems. Her knowing about our plan could completely ruin this." Freshwater explained. Peridot sighed. "That's unfortunate, and definitely has the potential to do just that. But, rest assured, all of our communications are far from her cell. We will be there in approximately three of your earth rotations. Just hold out until then, and we'll be fine." Freshwater nodded. "Thanks. I'll be ready." the green gem, ending the call.

Freshwater caught the communicator as the call ended, going to her exit hole and burying it a few feet. When she felt satisfied that nobody was going to find it, she hopped onto the train like usual, not wanting to go back to the gems just yet.

Looking back at her argument with the gems, Freshwater realized that she hadn't been lying about her anger. Truthfully, She did feel angry with the gems for not trusting her. Granted, if they knew exactly why they didn't trust her she wouldn't blame them, but the thing was, they didn't know. They hadn't even asked her what was wrong, and they'd just assumed she was up to no good. Pearl had said they viewed her as a Crystal Gem, but they didn't trust her. They had written her "progress" off as something that was an oddity. Despite what they said, they didn't think she could change. They'd lied to her, told her she could change, but when she looked like she was doing just that, they had automatically distrusted her, and Freshwater would be lying if she said that didn't sting.

But none of that matters. Freshwater thought, grounding herself as her feet sank into the sand of the beach as she finished her journey back to the temple.

In three days, she'd finally be free.

And the Crystal Gems would be no more.


	19. Feelings

The next day, Pearl paced the temple floor back and forth, her fingers tightly intertwined. Amethyst opened her mouth to tell Pearl to cool off for a bit, but closed it again. She hated to admit it, but she was worried too. The Pearl had been acting a lot stranger than usually lately, and despite the fact that the gems had tried to apologize, she'd seemed to have regressed back into how things were before. She didn't talk as much, refused to look anyone in the eye. She'd even saluted Garnet once or twice.

"All the progress. Gone." Pearl muttered, her pacing quickening. "Pearl, we've apologized to Freshwater for our mistake." Garnet said, placing a hand on Pearl's shoulder to halt her. "Now we just need to wait on her to decide to forgive us. It will come in time." She said, taking off her glasses and revealing her multi-colored eyes.

"Yeah! Like dad says, if every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs!" Steven piped up from the fridge. "Anyway, we're family. She can't be angry at you guys forever! In fact," His eyes lit up as he glanced out the window, seeing the gem in question was still sitting on the beach and looking at the sky as she'd been doing since he'd woken up that morning. "I'm gonna go see if she wants to come with me to see dad! He always makes things better!" He exclaimed before grabbing his ukulele and rushing out the door.

\--

Freshwater pretended to listen respectfully and tried not to roll her eyes as Steven finished his song about Lapis Lazuli. The boy had a strange ability to make a catchy song about anything, but thinking about the blue gem who could potentially ruin her plan made her skin crawl. Thankfully, before the song finished, an extremely loud sound halted Steven's song, making everyone jump and press their hands to their ears.

"What was that?" Steven asked, looking up. Thinking it had something to do with the "audio", or sound as Greg had said, the man ran to his van to try to fix the problem. For a few seconds, he pressed some buttons and adjusted the settings, but when this didn't stop it, he turned back to Steven and the others. "It's not us. I think it's coming from the temple."

Freshwater pressed her hands to her ears as hard as Steven slammed the door open. Inside, Garnet held what was causing the noise, a brown and gold object that was letting out a deafening screech. Amethyst had her hands pressed to her ears as well, and Pearl looked on, equally frustrated with the noise.

"It's the Wailing Stone! It just activated on it's own!" Pearl yelled as Garnet put the Wailing Stone down and planted a gauntlet on the top firmly. For a second, the noise stopped and silence filled the air. Freshwater started to move her hands away, but immediately slammed them back down when the fusion moved her hand and the wailing continued.

Pearl tried next, approaching the Wailing Stone and bubbling it, making the a lot more muffled. "It worked!" She said proudly. "Now we can-" she was cut off when the bubble rapidly grew and popped. Steven tried next, rushing forward and putting his arm through the large hole in the middle. He opened his mouth to say something, but the only thing that came out was a deeper version of the sound. Freshwater groaned again. This was growing annoying.

Garnet walked over and pulled Steven's arm out before quickly shoving a pillow in its place, piling other pillows on top of it for good measure. Finally, she picked Steven up and laced him on the top.

"I don't understand. That thing's been dormant since we found it." She said, walking over to the kitchen counter and leaning against it. "I haven't heard a wailing stone activate since we used them for the rebellion. And I've never heard it sound like that." Pearl said, pointing at the object.

"You used it for the rebellion? What for? What does it do?" Steven asked from his place on the pillow fort. "Someone's trying to send us a message." Garnet explained, putting her hands on her hips. "But who? We've wounded up all the wailing stones on Earth, and we're not sending this signal to ourselves. Unless….Amethyst is this a prank?" Pearl asked, glaring down at the purple gem as the two started to argue. "Enough." Garnet said, holding up a hand and stopping the two. "If it's not coming from Earth, then a gem must be sending this message from space."

Freshwater's heart jumped into her chest. It was Lapis Lazuli. She knew it.

"She did _what?!_ " Holly Blue Agate roared, slamming a fist onto the table she was in front of. Freshwater jumped and looked down. "Y….Yes, Miss. Holly Blue. The Lapis Lazuli sent a message to the gems. They know you're coming." Holly Blue leaned in, and Freshwater thanked the Diamonds that there wasn't a warp pad on the ship, feeling certain that had there been, the Agate would have gotten on it immediately and shattered her worthless form right there.

"And why didn't you try to stop them?"

"I did!" Freshwater said pleadingly. "But the thing is, they're always around. They feel bad for hurting my 'feelings'. They believe they upset me and are trying to make up for that, so avoiding them is almost impossible." Holly Blue sighed and sat back in her chair. " 'Feelings'. Pathetic. They don't matter, and they get in the way." She muttered. "Thank you for your report, Freshwater. We will deal with the….inconvenience, and you will be happy to know that we are arriving either late tomorrow or early the next day. That will be all."

Freshwater saluted as the call ended before repeating the process of hiding the communicator. There had been one thing the Agate said that she was having a hard time thinking about. Freshwater couldn't fault the gems for being so feelings-oriented, but she had to admit that she did think feelings got in the way.

She would never openly admit it, but they were even getting in the way of her escape plans, even at the beginning. Freshwater had told the gems a lot, but she hadn't told them everything. She didn't tell them that the Amethyst was defective, she didn't tell them about the intense attachment Pearl had for her former leader, she didn't tell them about Rose's secret base, she didn't tell them about how Garnet and the others cared about Steven. She didn't tell them about strong things that impacted them greatly out of fear that they'd use that information to somehow exploit them. She hadn't even told them about Steven, or that Rose Quarts was still alive and was on Earth.

Why? Because of feelings.

Freshwater never let herself think about them, but when her mind did turn to them they really got in the way, made her head go fuzzy and made her doubt herself. They made her ashamed.

But thankfully they never lasted long, and she had learned to shut them out easily, setting her sights on her ultimate goal. She may miss the gems, but this was for the best. She was made for one purpose, to serve. She couldn't change who she was, and Freshwater accepted that. She had one purpose, and when she finally fulfilled that purpose any pain and suffering would be worth it.

She just hoped that there wouldn't be many gem shards left along the way.


	20. Regret

"Freshwater. Freshwater wake up!"

Freshwater groaned. She rarely ever slept, but she wanted to be sure that she was well-rested if Holly Blue and Peridot did show up that day. "Yes, Steven? What is it?" She asked groggily, opening her eyes. She jumped back automatically when she saw Steven's face inches away from hers, grinning widely.

"The gems made you something! I know things have been rough lately, but I miss hanging out with you." Steven said, handing Freshwater what could best be described as a poorly made book. There was no binder, the only things holding the "book" together being three staples along the left side. Freshwater raised an eyebrow as Steven looked on, starry eyed.

Returning her gaze to the little booklet, Freshwater looked it over. Truthfully, it was rather cute. It was titled "Freshwater and the Crystal Gems!", and underneath it a picture of a Pearl holding a boy of about four. Freshwater automatically recognized the two as depictions of herself and Steven oh so long ago. Opening it carefully, she started to read aloud:

The first page was in Steven's handwriting.

"Freshwater has been here for almost ten years. At first, things were weird. She didn't like being here, and she did everything because she was told to. Pearl says she came from a bad place with bad gems who taught her that, so it took a long time for her to adjust to life here. But she's changing a lot. She's always there to protect me and keep me safe. And while she's still adjusting and we've hit a bump, maybe things can go back to how they used to be one day.

Because I think she's pretty great."

Underneath the text was a picture of Freshwater pulling Steven out of harm's way of Mayor Dewey's truck. Freshwater couldn't help but smile at the memory. Looking back, the two weren't in any real danger.

Turning the page, Freshwater noticed that the handwriting looked different, as did the little drawings at the bottom. Looking up curiously, she jumped when she realized the gems had all come out of their rooms and were now watching her intently. "Well, go on." Garnet said with a small smile. "Only if you want to." She added after catching Pearl's eye.

Freshwater cleared her throat before deciding to do just that.

"To say Freshwater is "pretty great" is an understatement. But I suck with words, so I guess "pretty great is the closest thing I've got as a description. When I first met this gem, I hated them. They reminded me of how wrong I am. They reminded me that I'm a defect."

But Freshwater's really changed since then. Her fighting's a lot better now, and I actually have to try to beat her. She also doesn't hate the Earth anymore, and gets why I want to protect it.

"So yeah. She is pretty great."

Freshwater glanced up at Amethyst, who was avoiding her gaze. "What?" She demanded. She was trying to sound tough, but this failed miserably and she instead sounded sincere, and if the little depictions of Amethyst and Freshwater fighting had anything to say about it, they certainly were. They didn't look as clean as the previous page, but Freshwater could tell the gem had put a lot of time and effort into these.

The second to the last page had a lot less text, but the picture was simply breathtaking. Rather than a simple black and white, it was doused in color, depicting the two gems standing back to back, weapons at the ready.

"Watching the process of Pearl turn into something other than a Pearl has been difficult, but I believe Freshwater has come a long way. To us, she is a part of our family. I'm glad she has come to realize that you don't do it for the glory, or for the satisfaction of completing tasks.

You do it for him.

You do it for her.

And, most importantly, you do it for yourself."

In the final page's picture (a grinning Garnet and Freshwater standing back to back, each holding a thumbs up), the borders weren't darkened, but it still worked, the pencil pressing down just hard enough to do its job, but gently enough that the lines and curves flowed effortlessly. The message was short, yet effective, making small tears fill in Freshwater's eyes.

"Out of all the outcomes of the war, we - I - never saw this. So much change, has happened, yet I am still amazed at the beauty of it all. I wish there was more I had to say, but there really isn't due to the fact that it's already been said. Freshwater has started a healing process and we were wrong to suspect otherwise.

We hope we can make up for this.

And we hope she'll agree to be an honorary Crystal Gem."

Freshwater looked up at the gems, a shocked expression on her face. "Well, what do you say?" Steven asked, holding up one of his old shirts and her knife.

Freshwater sank to her knees in the Kindergarten, gripping Steven's shirt in one hand as she stared at the knife in the other. Looking down at it, she felt her heart shatter at the tiny yellow star on the end. Currently, all logic was what she was about to do, but what choice did she have? Getting up, she took the communicator and hurled it at the wall, slashing at it relentlessly when it didn't break on impact. When she felt satisfied that she had damaged it beyond repair, she stood slowly and turned before stepping onto the warp pad with a determined look on her face.

She may not be able to undo the damage she'd done, but maybe she could buy the Gems a little time. She gulped as she looked into the sky, just barely making out the shape of a green ship in the form of a hand approaching quickly.


	21. Do You Understand?

When Freshwater got back to the gems, she saw that the temple room was empty. Figuring Steven was up and had gone to wander Beach City, she rushed out of the temple as fast as her legs could carry her, glancing up at the approaching hand every now and then.

The Pearl was just starting to think that she should go back to the Temple and get the gems when she spotted the boy and his father walking away from a car that had sold Steven "Fry Bits" for as long as she could remember. Freshwater came to a halt when Steven appeared to have noticed her presence. "Hey, Freshwater! How's it - " his greeting was cut off when the ground shook violently, knocking him to his feet, the fry bits falling at his side.

Freshwater hurriedly rushed over and picked him up, amazed that she could still do so, before placing the boy onto his feet. Steven thanked her before looking up at the sky, finally seeming to have noticed the ship. "Is that a hand?" He asked, shielding his eyes and squinting.

"The Light Canon should be ready." Pearl was saying as Freshwater, Greg, and Steven skidded to a halt in front of her. "Guys! Did you see that thing in the sky?" Steven asked. "It's a ship. We have to assume it's Peridot." Pearl said anxiously, looking up at the sky. Freshwater looked down at her feet guiltily. "Lapis told us she'd be coming. We'll need advanced weapons and reinforcements." Garnet said, adjusting her glasses. Freshwater's head shot back up. Advanced weapons? Reinforcements? The gems were planning on fighting back?

As promised, the gems did just that, taking out three of rose's Lazer Light Canons and firing at the ship. As Freshwater expected, there was no effect. "No effect. We'll have to take them head on. The whole town might be in danger." Garnet said, putting the telescope down. "I better make a call. Time for some political favors." Steven said, pulling his phone out and calling Mayor Dewey, telling him that everyone needed to leave Beach City immediately.

A few minutes later, the town was gathered and Mayor Dewey was spreading the message. Garnet and Amethyst were helping load bags and suitcases into Greg's van, Freshwater watching them anxiously from the temple porch. She jumped when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she was met with the bright blue eyes of the Pearl. "Are you alright?" She asked. Freshwater sighed and looked away. "I...I just don't get it. Why don't you run with Steven? Why don't you save yourself? Steven needs you!" She whispered angrily, gesturing to him. Pearl flinched, but her voice stayed even. "Well, we made a promise to Rose to protect this planet. They only know about us, and they are only after us. Unfortunately, Steven staying with us." She paused to take a shaky breath before beginning again. "Steven staying with us could be the very thing that gets him killed." She paused before smiling softly. "Anyway, it's not like he'll be alone. You and Greg will be with him."

Freshwater's eyes widened. "What? I can't take care of him nearly as well as you guys can! I….what if I can't protect you? What if you get hurt?" She said pleadingly. "Freshwater, you are an amazing fighter, but you still have a lot to learn. And besides, give yourself credit where it's due. In every instance of danger we've had, though small compared to this, you were there for him. How can this be any different?" She asked, giving the gems shoulder a light squeeze.

Freshwater glared at Greg's van angrily as Amethyst and Garnet closed the doors. This was it. She was single-handedly leading the closest thing to family she had into the cold arms of death, and as a cold reminder she would have to take over raising the very thing they had sworn to protect. For the rest of her life, Freshwater would have the blood of her teammates on her hands, and truthfully she couldn't be angry about it.

Because it was what she deserved.

\--

Freshwater stared out the van window grumpily as the trees passed by. Steven appeared to be just as upset as she was, if not moreso. She was currently trying to tune him out as he talked to his father, but couldn't help but be curious as Greg described the gem war. To her, it was interesting how one event had so many different perspectives.

"All they do is try to make up for it, but they just can't forgive themselves. Do you understand?" He said, momentarily losing his temper before composing himself and continuing in a softer voice. "Look, they were doing something awful to the planet, and your mother couldn't stand it anymore. She told me that's why she had to turn on her own kind. She gave up everything just to stop what they started here. Drive the invading gems off of Earth."

"So, she saved the world, that's good!" Steven interrupted.

"No such thing as a good war, kiddo. Gems were destroyed, people too." Greg said sadly. "In the end, your mother could only save a handful of her closest friends. If it weren't for her shield...Man I don't know."

Freshwater looked down at her clenched fists. How infuriating. She couldn't even get this rebellion thing right. Rose had rebelled for the good of her friends, for the people she cared about. She had rebelled for her own selfish needs, because she was chasing a home that she didn't even know was a true home. And then she had tried to rebel against her rebellion, and she couldn't even save those people, and the only person she was able to save was St-

Freshwater jumped as a loud bang sounded from the front seat and Steven was launched out the window, enclosed in his defensive Rose Quartz bubble.

The van barely had time to skid to a halt before Freshwater had thrown herself out of the car, rushing to check on the gem. "Steven, are you alright?" She asked, looking him over, confused when she saw his tear streaked face. Apparently he'd been upset when she'd zoned out in the van. "Freshwater, I have to go back." He said softly, "I get if you don't want to come, but I have to. They don't have my shield, you - do you understand?" He asked, looking from the Pearl to Greg.

Freshwater stared at him for a long moment as if she was seeing him for the first time. She saw him not as someone who was stronger than anyone she'd ever met, the Diamonds. He was scared, but he wasn't scared for himself, but for a family she didn't feel she wanted to be a part of. He was willing to die for them, something she had been so cowardly in doing. He was strong.

So no. She didn't understand. But Diamonds, did she want to.

\--

Freshwater clung to Lion's mane for dear life as the beast ran back to the temple. Looking up, she felt a shudder run down her spine. She was really doing this. She was about to face Holly Blue Agate herself, rebel against the very gem who had helped bring her sorry form into existence. She was about to go back on her plan, abandon all hope of returning to Homeworld.

She just hoped that shattering wasn't as painful as it sounded.


	22. Make A Move

**Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long. College is, and has been, beating me relentlessly. Luckily though I have a break starting this weekend and I plan to update this. If I don't It's probably because I'm knocked out on the couch out of pure exhaustion. Anyway, here's a really long chapter! Side note: writers block sucks, but I'm over it so get ready for a wild ride.**

Freshwater closed in on herself, putting her head down and trying to steady her heart, which felt like it was about to burst through her pounding chest. Guilt racked her body as she recalled the events of the night before.

As soon as the ship had touched down, all hell had broken loose and whatever plans on retaliation against the her former Agate disappeared as soon as the Jasper guard accompanying her had poofed Garnet with a single hit. Seeing how the fusion's body twisted and contorted before falling apart before her very eyes reminded Freshwater exactly how little power she had in this. She had made the decision to turn her back on the gems that had helped her, and now she had no choice but to follow through.

After the fusion went down, the gems didn't stand a chance. Pearl and Amethyst had jumped into action, Amethyst going for Peridot and Amethyst taking on Jasper, leaving Freshwater with her last chance to turn against the Agate, who motioned her forward.

Freshwater stepped forward, saluting the gem. "I see you managed to trick the Crystal Nuicences." She drawled, watching boredly as Jasper and

Peridot took on Pearl and Amethyst. Freshwater opened her mouth to respond but jumped when she heard the ever-familiar sound of a gem destabilizer. Looking toward where the sound had come from, she felt her throat tighten as Pearl's form poofed in a cloud of smoke.

"Defect!"

Freshwater's head snapped back to face the Agate's cold gaze. "I asked you a question." She said, her eyes flickering to Jasper, who was bending down to pick up the pale gem's gemstone. "My humblest apologies Holly Blue." Freshwater said, forcing her gaze back on the gem. "Can you please repeat yourself?" Holly Blue sneered and started to go on a rant, but Freshwater found herself immediately tuning the gem out, finding her attention return to Jasper, who was glaring Steven down as the boy begged for Pearl's gemstone.

"Get lost runt. This ain't your fight." Jasper said menacingly. "And even if it was," here she raised the gemstone to eye-level and scoffed. "This Pearl's defective. Not as much as that," for moment she glanced at Freshwater, "But I wouldn't waste your time trying to defend it." She paused, a sickening smile plastering across her face.

Freshwater's attention was immediately yanked away as Holly Blue Agate grabbed her by the shirt collar, forcing the gem to look her in the eye. "What has gotten _into_ you?" she demanded. "You are really trying my patience." She growled, bringing the gem so close that Freshwater could smell her breath.

"Listen. To Me. When. I. Speak. To. You." She said in a low voice.

"Hurry up and shatter her then." Peridot barked, finally succeeding in capturing the defective Amethyst in her beam and slammed her against a wall, poofing the purple gem as well. "No point in putting a defective Amethyst, two defective Pearls," her gaze fell on Steven, who was clutching Garnet's gemstones to his chest. "And a defective fusion no less, on trial."

"You don't make the rules here Peridot." Jasper snapped, bending down and snatching the gemstones from Steven's hands before marching over to Peridot and snatching those as well. Peridot rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going back to check on the prisoner and get the ship ready for launc."

"No! You can't do that!" Steven sputtered as Peridot sauntered off. "I suggest you head the words of the Jasper and leave." The green gem said in an icy tone before disappearing inside the ship.

Steven shook his head defiantly, his eyes filling up with tears as he shook. "Please! You can't take them from me! They….they're all the family I've got." He begged, his eyes lingering on Freshwater.

Freshwater let out a whoof of air when Holly Blue dropped her, laughing loudly. "Your _family?"_ she said in between bursts of laughter. "These Crystal

Gems really had you humans fooled. To think that a Pearl could change their design, their making, that they can change who they are and act on their own?" her laughter finally died down as she wiped tears from her eyes. "That's proprosterous. And even if were possible," she gestured to Freshwater, "Your 'family' here has been working for us for some time now. How do you think we knew the location of your base?" she said smugly.

Steven looked at Freshwater, dumbfounded and, above all, hurt. "Freshwater….I thought you were on our side." Freshwater bit her lower lip and looked away, ashamed. Holly Blue sneered. "I don't see why you're so surprised. I trained her myself." She said smugly. "Granted, she is far from perfect and by no means fit for a Diamond." She said, scoffing at Freshwater's form, "But she does have the firm loyalty of all Pearls. Disobeying an order from me would be a death-wish." she sighed. "But I don't know why I'm explaining it to some lower-level life form anyhow. We have who we need, and I'd rather not keep my Diamond waiting." She said, turning to Freshwater. "Before we leave, however, I need you to do one simple thing for me." Freshwater's mouth went dry as she answered the gem. "Y-Yes Holly Blue?" the blue gem crossed her arms over her chest. "You haven't been able to listen to or focus on a single word I've said. Your attention remains on these Crystal Gems and their pets." Here she gestured to Steven and cocked her head to the side. "It makes me think that you have grown….empathetic towards them, have you not?"

Freshwater felt her legs began to shake as she fumbled for an answer. Before she could stumble one out however, the Agate gave a curt nod. "Yes as I suspected. You are all defective, so it makes sense that you would find comfort in one another. However." A dark shadow fell over her face. "I will momentarily forgive your incompetence if you can perform this one simple task." She paused, waiting for Freshwaer to ask. "Yes Holly Blue?"

Freshwater asked, still holding her salute.

The blue gem's eyes flickered to Steven as she suppressed a small smile. "The human. Destroy it."

Freshwater felt her whole body tense up at the Agate's order as her salute fell out of pure shock. Jasper sighed. "This is taking too long. We don't have time for th-" she fell silent when Holly Blue raised a hand. "It will only take a moment. Human forms are so weak, that even a Peridot could take one on." Peridot scoffed and muttered something under her breath, but Holly Blue ignored her, turning to Freshwater as if to say, "Well what are you waiting for?"

For a moment, Freshwater hesitated. This was her last chance to turn back, to make a last ditch effort to save the one thing the gems cared about the most.

The gems.

Freshwater felt a hot anger fill her chest as she flashed through all of her memories with them.

The gems had bubbled her, and then when she had started to show her change, they hadn't trusted her.

Freshwater's eyes flickered to Pearl's gemstone as she took a step forward, her feet seemingly gliding towards Steven with every thought as she realized how hopeless it all was. Pearl wasn't over Rose entirely, was loyal to her until the very end and still loved her despite the fact that she was gone.

After six thousand years, nothing had changed. Pearl was still obsessed over Rose, Amethyst still insecure about her defectiveness, the fusion was still dependent. The only thing that had changed was –

Steven.

Freshwater froze, now only a foot away from Steven, weapon poised to strike as he stood under her, fearful and wide eyed.

Freshwater felt her head start to pound as everyone's gaze was on her. Looking at Steven, her mind flashed to the card they'd all made for her, to the small little speck of dirt she saw him as when she first met him. She saw him as such a burden, but really he was stronger than she was. In the face of certain death, he stood firm in his beliefs, and fought for what mattered to him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Holly Blue Agate barked. "Hurry up and make a move because we don't have all day." She snapped.

Freshwater shook her thoughts from her head at the Agate's voice and steadied herself and finally staring down at Steven and addressing the Agate.

"Yes Holly Blue." She said, coming so that she was now six inches in front of Steven, who looked like he was about to summon his weapon at any second to retaliate if he needed to.

Freshwater let out a battle cry and rushed Steven, dropping her weapon at the last second and wrapping her arms around Steven's smaller form, catching the boy off guard as she hugged him in a vice grip, sobbing out apologies and cursing herself for how stupid she had been.

For once, Steven was glad that he didn't have a firm control of his powers, as the bubble popped up a millisecond too late, enclosing him and Freshwater inside. Steven opened his mouth to respond, but jumped when he their enclosure rattled loudly, making Freshwater jump away, slipping and falling on the bubble's smooth surface as Jasper threw punch after punch at the bubble and Holly Blue screamed colorful insults at Freshwater and

Steven.

Steven looked down sympathetically at Freshwater, trying to keep his focus on keeping the bubble together. "Right now let's just focus on saving our family." He said, reaching out a hand to help Freshwater up. Freshwater cocked her head to the side. "Our…..family?" Steven nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Of course. I mean, if you really hated us, you would have taken me out when you had the chance." He said, hoisting the gem to her feet. "But….I tried to get you guys killed!" Freshwater sputtered as the enclosure shook again.

"Out of desperation. You just wanted to get home." Steven's gaze saddened. "Like Lapis." He comforted, placing a hand on Freshwater's arm.

Freshwater started to argue, but was interrupted when a particularly hard punch from Jasper made a noticeable crack in bubble. "You can go home if you want. I won't even tell the gems about what happened. Just please. Help me save them." He said, not letting his still-outstretched hand down as he gazed at the gemstones carelessly tossed on the shore.

Freshwater's gaze immediately fell on Pearl and she remembered all those years ago. How Amethyst and Garnet had been so quick to poof ad re-bubble her. The gem had worked so hard to change her, train her to be a better gem. Maybe Freshwater wouldn't have 6,000 years to change, but at the end of the day, Pearl must have seen that, if she did have that long, she was capable.

Freshwater's gaze hardened as she gave a curt nod and took Steven's out stretched hand and he lifted her to her feet.

"I don't know if we can take them by ourselves." Freshwater fretted, raising the hand that wasn't clasped in Steven's to her mouth as another large jagged crack appeared in the bubble. "Then let's do it together." Steven said decisively, looking up at Freshwater. Freshwater arched an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Steven let out a small laugh, shaking his head at the gem's lack of understanding about Earth terms. Freshwater still looked confused. "Uh, Steven, I don't think this is a time for your jokes." Freshwater said as more and more cracks formed. "I know I know, sorry. What I mean is." His gaze turned serious.

"Let's fuse."


	23. Promises

"I don't know what you expected."

Freshwater refused to lift her head from her knees, her heart pounding in her chest. After a few moments, she finally responded to the gem in the cell across from her, lifting her gaze. "I don't know what I expected either." She said simply bitterly, leaning against the wall. The gem opened their mouth to argue, but stopped short. "Wait….you agree with me?" she said, taken aback.

Freshwater nodded. "Yes. I should have known that a Pearl as defective as myself wouldn't be able to pull this off." She groaned, placing her head in her hands. "I can't even follow one simple order right. I don't know why I thought I could create, and follow through with, orders I created for myself." The water gem watched warily as the Pearl stood up and started to pace like a caged animal, taking her visor off and starting to fiddle with it anxiously.

"I should have gone with you when you flew off." She muttered. "Gone back to Homeworld. Face my shattering like a real gem. At least then St-"

"Lapis! Freshwater!"

The gems in question jumped at the sound of Steven's voice. "Are you okay?" Steven asked, quickly rushing over and reaching out a hand and breaking the forcefield. "Steven? How did you-" the Pearl shook her head. "No, more importantly, _what_ are you doing? Get back to your cell before Jasper, or worse, Holly Blue finds out about this." She hissed. Steven shook his head defiantly. "No! I already told you, I can't just let them take us. Let them take you! You guys are my family!"

Freshwater groaned in frustration, tugging at her hair. "No, we're not." She snapped. "You, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are a family. I made my choice to abandon that, and I'm sure the second Garnet finds out about my little stunt I'll be back in my bubble." Freshwater sighed, her gaze softening. "I…I made my choice Steven. Now I have to live with the consequences."

"But what about the other-"

"I will help you reunite with the gems." Freshwater interrupted, putting her visor back on. "After tonight though….I'll have to go." A sad look passed over Steven's face as he desperately looked like he wanted to argue. "Alright. But if you ever want to return to Earth, I won't tell the gems what happened." He said with a small smile, putting his hand through the stream and for her.

"Stop!" Lapis snapped, making the pair jump. Steven looked over his shoulder at Lapis as Freshwater crawled through the small space. "Oh, don't worry Lapis, I can help you to-"

"I don't want your help." Lapis snapped. "I've – _you've_ –" she took a shaky breath, trying to control herself. "We _all_ have made too much trouble. Why do you insist on making things so difficult for yourselves? There are currently a Jasper, an Agate, and a Peridot on board this ship. There is no escape from them! She-" here she pointed at Freshwater, "and I realize what we're up against. We're accepting whatever fate comes to us." She turned away from Steven and crossed her legs, not meeting his gaze. "You and your Crystal Gems should do the same."

Again, Steven looked like he wanted to argue, but only let out a muffled yelp of confusion when Freshwater picked him up and ducked into a small closet and closed the door slightly, pressing a hand over his mouth. A few moments later, the all too familiar sound of limb-enhancers on metal was heard, accompanied with the sound of angry muttering.

"I don't know why they expected me, a Peridot, to keep track over the cells for even a minute. It's not what I'm made for. And now we have one-" she paused, clenching her teeth when she saw Freshwater's empty cell. " _Two_ escapees." She said, hastening her pace on the way to find her two escorts. 

"So what now?" Steven whispered as soon as Freshwater moved her hand.

Freshwater stepped out of the small closet, senses on high alert as she darted down the confusing twists and turns of the hallway. "As I'm sure you've realized," she whispered, taking yet another turn, "Homeworld is not keen on originality or unique thought." Steven nodded, panting slightly. "It is because of these reasons that all ships are made the same. Structure, design. We've even got designated places for how we keep prisoners." She continued. "I assume Jasper doesn't know about the secret about your mom?" she asked, trying to be careful of her words. Steven shook his head, out of breath. "No….she just thinks I'm an annoying human. Said something about using me as a way to get information?" he said with a small shrug. Freshwater grit her teeth but composed herself. "Makes sense why you weren't put in with me and Lapis. We're considered "petty cases". Crimes that still need punishment, but can probably be sorted out with about a five minute trial. Those who commit treason, or otherwise refuse the will of the Diamond Authority, are placed in another section, separated. You were probably just tossed in a cell and deamed unimportant." She snorted, finally coming to a stop in front of the section she was looking for, Steven all but running over her.

Steven hesitantly approached the first cell, peering in at the small purple gemstone that lie there. "Is she okay?" Steven asked, worried. Freshwater placed a hand on Steven's shoulder, nodding. "Yes. These cells are like bubbles, but even harder to get out of. The shields look the same, but they're designed to lock gems up for as long as possible. The gems are fine. They may be sore from the gem destabilizer though." She muttered the last part under her breath, shuddering at the all too familiar memory of the gem destabilizer.

Steven nodded and approached the cell, reaching his hand in as Freshwater crawled in and collected the Amethyst gemstone. They then did the same with the small blue and red gemstones. "So that's Garnet, Amethyst…..where's Pearl?" Steven asked, a small twinge of panic in his voice. Freshwater frowned, checking the other cells. "Well, this is the only other place I can think of-"

"I still don't know why you thought it was a good idea to put her in charge!"

Freshwater paled at the sound of Jasper's enraged voice followed by the cold response of Holly Blue Agate. "Well what else was I supposed to do? You had to give your report to Yellow Diamond, and I had to prepare to get rid of that defect once and for all. I can't have her go on trial in front of the Diamonds! She should have been shattered millennia ago."

Freshwater felt like she might be sick as she grabbed Steven's arm and dragged him away from the containment unit.

"What about Pe-"

"I'll keep an eye out for her." Freshwater interrupted Steven, allowing her fear to take over and throw caution to the wind as she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the escape pod storing area. Praying for a miracle, she thanked whatever few lucky stars she had as the door swung open after she punched in the code.

Practically flinging the door open, Freshwater motioned Steven inside. The poor boy looking sick with worry. "What if you don't find her in time? What if we never see her again? What if something horrible happens to her?" Freshwater bit her lower lip starting to strap him in and set the coordinates to Beach City. "Steven." She said, when she had finished. "I promise you that I will find her and do everything in my power to return her to you." She promised, placing her hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eye.

Steven nodded, tears slowly starting to form in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Freshwater's neck tightly. "Please do." He said through choked sobs. "And at least try to save yourself. I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt."

Freshwater went slightly rigid at the awkward embrace, but easily relaxed into it, returning the hug. "I…I'll try Steven." She said, squeezing him and hoping he couldn't hear the ferocious screams and bang of fist after fist of the Agate on the other side of the door as the escape pod's engine roared.

"Pearl will be home soon, Steven." Freshwater murmured, waving as the warp pad exited the ship. "Or I'll die trying."


	24. Tunnel Vision

Freshwater bit her lower lip as she looked at the door as it shook and rattled on its hinges. Part of her really wanted to surrender to the gem on the other side, hurry up and get the punishment over with, but by the looks of the large dent in the door the Agate would probably shatter her as soon as she got her hands on her.

Stroking her chin, Freshwater started to search for an escape route to another part of the ship to continue her search for Pearl, thanking the stars that the Agate couldn't get through the door without the code due to the security system that reset the codes to the door every time the pods were used, a security measure that had been instilled during the war to try to keep whatever prisoners taken from escaping. Her celebration was cut short, however, when the sound of metal on metal approached and stopped at the door and Jasper's angry roar combined with Holly Blue's snappy remarks were heard on the other side.

Freshwater prayed that the two gems would continue to argue to buy her some more time as she searched for an exit, her eyes widening when she spotted an air duct on the wall four or five feet above her. Running a hand along the edges of the vent as her heart pounded in her chest when she realized she didn't have any tools to open it. Groaning, Freshwater realized she would probably have to use brute force. The air ducts were never used, and frankly she didn't understand why they had them in the first place. They had been there for years, so hopefully even she could break them?

Freshwater took a deep breath as she took a few steps back and focused all her attention on the vent, her mind returning to Pearl's instructions in trainings. Thanks to her many lessons and experiences with getting her gem handed to her by Amethyst, combined with her many experiences of Holly Blue Agate's wrath, she could take several hits of damage and be fine. Through these experiences, she had learned that taking hits was part of the fight, and most gems would expect her to be stunned from the pain or flinch from it instead of delving out damage of her own. To put it simply, she'd adapted her high pain tolerance and used it to her advantage.

Freshwater clenched and unclenched her body as she sprinted to the vent and launched her body at it, letting out a small grunt as her shoulder rammed into the vent, making it rattle loudly. She followed it up with a hard punch to the gate as well before backing up to try again.

The rattling of the grate had disrupted the noise outside by now, but Freshwater ignored it, tunnel visioning in on the task at hand and nothing else. Backing up further than earlier, Freshwater continued the process of launching herself at the vent and following it up with a punch, her body not registering the sound of the door sliding open.

In fact, Freshwater didn't realize she wasn't the only one in the room until she was about to launch herself at the grate a final time, certain that it would crack, until she was frozen in her place and lifted from the ground by a bright green beam of some kind. Straining, Freshwater growled and hissed, trying to break free of the beam.

"Let me go!" Freshwater snapped, fixing Peridot with a hard glare. "Hurry up and poof her, you clod!" Peridot spat, looking at Jasper, who was kneeling down on her knees and trying to catch her breath. Lifting her head, she responded, more shocked than angry. "I would have been able to if you had been aiming better. And you!" here she stood upright and pointed at Holly Blue. "Why didn't you use your whip?"

"What, and risk hitting and poofing one of you with it?" Holly Blue drawled, twirling her whip in one hand as she approached Freshwater, gazing at the gem with…..interest? "How did you do that?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It's an old vent. It wasn't that hard to break your dingy Earth material." Freshwater spat, glaring at the Agate from behind her visor. There was a moment of silence, but Freshwater held the Agate's gaze, not registering her mistake until she was met with a hard smack across her face, making her eyes well with tears. To her surprise, though, they were more out of fury than pain.

"You will not take that tone with me." Holly Blue growled. Freshwater just glared at her as she continued. "Anyhow. I wasn't referring to you damaging the vent. I was referring to how you were able to not only take multiple hits from a gem destabilizer, and dodge a beam without breaking a sweat while these two-" here she looked disgustedly between Jasper and Peridot "look like they're going to keel over any second."

Freshwater's anger was shifted to confusion. "What are you talking about?" she said, trying to sound as confident as earlier, but coming out more as confusion. Holly Blue gestured to Freshwater's form as if it was obvious. Following the Agate's gaze, Freshwater felt her body start to ache, simultaneously realizing what state she was in. Her clothes were tattered from Jasper's attempts to grab her, and there were multiple dark spots decorating her body, places where she assumed Jasper had hit her with the gem destabilizer. Her shoulders and knuckles also ached from her switching up to try to relieve some of the pain of trying to break the vent. She wouldn't have been surprised if she had broken something or dislocated her shoulder.

"I….I don't know." Freshwater admitted, feeling her anger fully subside. "I was just trying to fulfill an order and I guess I just kind of….tunnel visioned everything else?" Freshwater mused. Holly Blue stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Interesting. What was this order you were given, and where is the gem you followed them for?" Freshwater's response was like clockwork. "Unfortunately, according to my teachings, giving up the location person I served is against my code. As is listing specific duties given to me to gems that are not authorized." For a moment, Holly Blue looked angry, but it subsided immediately and was replaced with a small smirk. "Alright defect. You have me there." Here she turned to Peridot and Jasper. "Put her with the other one. Fix her up first though." She glanced back at Freshwater with less disgust than usual. "Or rather as much as you can. My Diamond is going to want to hear about this." She said, turning on her heel and heading out.

"She should have heard about this several millennia ago." Peridot muttered under her breath. Freshwater yelped as the forcefield around her disappeared, carelessly dropping her to the ground. "Hey, be careful." Jasper barked as Freshwater started to get up but failed, her mind swimming in the pain. For a moment, her vision lingered on the vent and she made a weak attempt to crawl for it but was scooped up by Jasper. "Not this time defect. Gotta admit that was impressive for a Pearl." She said with a small laugh. "But you're obviously too weak to try that again."

"Hurry up." Peridot barked, looking down at Freshwater. "If that gem dies on our watch, something tells me we're in hot water." At this point the pain was in full swing, and Freshwater barely caught onto Jasper's response. "As long as we get the Crystal Gem Pearl to Homeworld I'll be fine. Your stupid Pearl Operation or whatever means nothing to me. Not my mission, not my problem."

The last daunting phrase carried into Freshwater's nightmares as she slipped into a deep unconsciousness. "We'll see how stupid that operation is when the Diamonds try to use her abilities in our Operation."

 **(My amazing professor switched from two classes a week to just one so now I have more time to get my responsibilities taken care of earlier in the day. Sssoo...Expect more recent uploads! Also I'm probably changing the rating on this story to Teen or something. There isn't going to be any fluff for a while and I'm not holding back many punches. No smut or graphic detail. Just want to be safe)**


	25. Bedside Conversation

"My stars, Jasper how many times did you hit her with that thing?"

Freshwater's head swam as Peridot's grated on her ears, bringing her into semi-consciousness. Confused, she tried to open her eyes, but even that felt impossible as her body felt like it weighed a ton, yet the numbness gave off the sensation of a full-body equivalent of one's foot falling asleep. Sleep…..stars that sounded nice. If only these restraints on her limbs were a little looser she could do so comfortably. Or if at least the person poking and prodding around her would stop. She was exhausted and wanted to rest, her need coming out in the form of a low, half-conscious growl when she felt a cool alcohol wipe on her skin.

"Calm down you clod I'm trying to re-sedate you." Peridot snapped, her voice dripping with irritation. "Frankly I'm surprised a Pearl, a Defective one at that, is still alive right now."

"Have you fixed her yet?"

Peridot yelped and dropped both Freshwater's arm and the needle, whipping around to face the gem. "Diamonds name, Holly Blue, warn me next time! This organic medical stuff is gross and you don't know _what_ you could see." She muttered, scrambling around to find the needle. "And, no. I haven't "fixed her" yet." She paused. "I mean her physical form will be fine. Surprisingly her gem is fine. Her physical form is just exhausted."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to do both your job and mine." Peridot said, gesturing to Freshwater. Holly Blue started to advance on the gem, but Peridot didn't flinch. "Before you do anything brash, I would like to remind you that I'm the only one who has been tolerating your 'Perfect Pearl Fix' Side mission." Holly Blue stepped back and crossed her arms. "Fair enough. But it will all be worth it."

"For you." Peridot said, shrugging. "My only point in coming here was to check on the Cluster. I just got dragged into this little side mission – a side mission that was supposed to be marked as a failure millennia ago. A mission where there is a blatant lie on the records?" Peridot went on, momentarily taking her attention from Freshwater in favor of making Holly Blue squirm. The Agate, however, did no such thing, instead shocking the Peridot by shrugging. "Well, alright then. If you aren't willing to help me with this mission, I suppose I'll leave you and Jasper here with the defect."

Peridot paled noticeably but kept her composure. "Don't be dumb, Holly. What good would that do?"

"Well, the way I see it," Holly Blue explained, starting towards the door, "Jasper has forgotten entirely about your Cluster mission, and has already departed with her own enterage of Ruby guards with the Lapis Lazuli Crystal Gem. I also have what I need, and the only reason I didn't go with them is because I would rather be shattered than spend time with those reckless, untrustable Ruby guards." She growled before continuing. "The Fancy Pearl. I'm sure the…company she was around simply warped her sense of reason. Nothing my training can't solve. I was just keeping the Defect around because she appears to have some sort of interesting ability that I do not understand. Her ability to stick to an order appears to still be there, and is extremely strong. You saw how ferocious she was on that vent. Taking multiple hits from the gem destabilizer. " the gem stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I was thinking that the better made gem could learn a thing or two about following orders from the defect." Her eyes lit up for a moment. "Now that I think about it, it would probably be easier to have a fusion of the two. Less work on my end. I would have to run the idea by Yellow and Blue first though. The defect appears to have all of the aspects of a well made Pearl. But she's almost organic, along with the hideous form. The Diamonds would shatter me as soon as they saw her." The gem snorted, starting to leave. "what am I saying. They'd probably see the defect and shatter me on sight. You keep her. I'll give her the order as soon as she wakes up."

Peridot hissed, stomping towards Holly Blue. "Are you crazy? She'd tear me to shreds as soon as you left! Anyhow, I don't want a defect, and you're the only gem who can control her." Holly Blue arched an eyebrow, a smirk pulling at her lips. "So you'll help me with the mission?" Peridot sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Alright, yes. I will." She said. "But after this you have to help me with the Cluster. I haven't found out _nearly_ enough for Yellow Diamond to be pleased thanks to you." Peridot said, glancing over her shoulder at Freshwater, who was shifting in and out of consciousness. "And I doubt that Yellow and Blue Diamond will approve of this. Especially since we are presently lightyears away from Homeworld, and can't use our novathrusters thanks to your _other_ Pearl." Peridot spat angrily. She snapped, grabbing the needle and administering the sedative.

….

Freshwater groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, turning on her side and wrapping herself into a ball on her cell floor. She felt exhausted and wanted to sleep for days, and was currently trying to do that but her body wouldn't let her. Every time she felt like she was coming close to some form of sleep, she felt a nagging feeling in her gut, like she was forgetting something. For a moment, she wasn't sure what from, but then the memories hit her like a truck. Her desperate attempt to fuse with Steven, her conversation with Lapis, sending Steven back to Earth with all the other gems. Well all the other gems except –

Pearl!

Freshwater immediately opened her eyes and jumped to her feet at the memory of Steven's request. The motion was too abrupt, however, and her body immediately protested and she fell forward, her legs feeling like they hadn't been used for a long time. Before Freshwater could faceplant into the cell floor, however, a pair of strong arms caught and steadied her.

"You might want to take it easy. You've been out for a while." A tired but relieved voice said, its owner leading her to sit and lean against the cell wall. Freshwater razed her head to thank the kind stranger, but her voice immediately caught in her throat when she registered who it was.

Pearl cocked her head to the side and observed her with a concerned gaze. "Freshwater? Are you alright?"

"Am I alright? Are _you_ alright? They poofed you." Freshwater pointed out. "Well, yes, they did, but you appear to have taken a lot more damage than I have." Pearl pointed out, grimacing as she observed Freshwater's form. Looking down, Freshwater grimaced at the scars she would have until either she was shattered or poofed again. "Fair enough." Freshwater murmured. "But you shouldn't be worried about me." She said, attempting to stand but Pearl pulled her down sternly.

"Nonsense. According to Jasper's angry rants as she left with Lapis, Steven and the others escaped somehow," a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "and I have a feeling you had something to do with it, considering how she glared daggers at you when she passed our cell. As your training mentor, I have to make sure we stay safe. And, as we are both Crystal Gems, we _should_ worry about each other."

Freshwater bit her lower lip and looked away. "But…aren't you angry with me?" she asked hesitantly. Pearl looked confused. "Angry? Why would I be angry? You protected Steven when I couldn't."

'I'm also the reason any of you were in this mess in the first place.' Freshwater thought, cringing but deciding not to respond. After a few moments, Freshwater looked up. "How are you so calm about all of this?" Freshwater asked. Pearl gave a coy smirk as she stood. "Because I already have a plan to get out of this mess. I was just waiting until you were healed to execute it. Now I'm just waiting for an opening."

Freshwater's mind immediately flashed back to Holly Blue Agate's plan and she felt her stomach turn. "Pearl, whatever you're thinking it's a bad idea." Freshwater warned. "You've already damaged the novathrusters. Isn't that enough for now?" she asked. Pearl snorted. "No? Freshwater, I know you don't understand, but I _can't_ go back to Homeworld. There are….gems there who could recognize me, and that would not end well for anyone." Freshwater cocked her head to the side, but Pearl didn't explain, instead looking sternly at Freshwater. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Freshwater pursed her lips and decided to try a different tactic. "Alright….well can we at least be safe about it?" Freshwater asked. Pearl paused before turning back to Freshwater, a quizzical look on her face.

"What did you have in mind?"


	26. Lay it On Thick

"This is ridiculous." Pearl muttered, aggressively rubbing the Agate's shoe with a rag and shoe shine. "It's not the worst punishment, I suppose." Freshwater said with a shrug. Pearl's nostrils flared as she whispered in an angry voice. "How is wearing a demeaning collar and being forced to shine the shoes of a gem I'm supposed to pretend to serve not the worst punishment?" Freshwater bit her lower lip. "At least we match?" she said with a forced smile, pointing to her own. Pearl made an irritated noise in the back of her throat.

"That doesn't answer my –"

Freshwater clamped a hand over Pearl's mouth and put a finger to her lips, hearing the steadily approaching footsteps of the Agate. Pearl started to argue, but fell silent as well as Holly Blue approached the cell.

"Hello Miss. Holly Blue." Freshwater greeted, immediately dropping the rag and saluting the gem. Holly Blue looked at Pearl expectantly before the gem realized her mistake and blushed a bright teal blue and poorly mimicked Freshwater's sign.

"What kind of salute is that?" Freshwater flinched at Holly Blue Agate's hard voice. She immediately recognized that tone. It was the tone she used when she was already having a bad day and was practically _begging_ to shatter someone, anyone.

"I apologize my Agate." Freshwater interjected before Pearl could. "I haven't re-taught her the salute yet." Holly Blue narrowed her eyes. "And why not? Was that not one of the things I first taught you?" Freshwater flinched and nodded. "Yes ma'am. Again, I apologize. I just wanted to make sure you had your shoes sparkled as bright as a Diamond would, as instructed." She said, standing and taking the other shoe from Pearl's hand before approaching the Agate and getting on one knee, handing the pair out to her. "Forgive me, my Agate."

Holly Blue Agate took the shoes and observed them. "Not as bright as a Diamond." She said, making Freshwater's heart stop for a moment. "But that is impossible." She said with a grin as Freshwater lifted her head but stayed where she was. "It truly is, Holly Blue."

"I taught you well, Defect." The Agate said with a proud smile that immediately fell when she looked at Pearl. "It truly is a shame that you look like that. Then you may have had a chance." She said before turning on her heel and heading out, putting the force field up behind her.

"Laying it on kind of thick." Pearl muttered, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. Freshwater didn't respond or stand until she was sure the Agate's footsteps had faded entirely. When she felt safe, she finally stood. "Have to." She said simply before turning to Pearl. "Holly Blue only shines her shoes when she has a call with someone important. On those days she's especially nasty and eager to dish out punishments far worse than having to wear some collar that keeps us linked." She said, flinching when she remembered the time she had made the fatal error of dropping a Robonoid she had been trying to polish while the Agate was on the phone. "I always felt sore after."

Pearl nodded solemnly. "Yes, spending the whole day vacuuming, rearranging, dusting, and polishing will do that." Freshwater faltered. "Huh?" she asked, looking up, confused. Pearl looked equally confused. "What do you mean 'Huh'? Having to clean the house top to bottom was my punishment. Wel that and the mental torment." She cocked her head to the side in blissful ignorance. "Was it different for you?"

Freshwater grimaced. "I guess you could say that." She muttered, finally standing from her place on the floor and approaching the force field before Pearl could push for details. Frankly, she was surprised (but glad, of course) that Pearl served gems who were at least bearable compared to hers. "Do you have any of those bandages left? A first-aid kit?" Freshwater asked before Pearl could pry too deep into her past.

Pearl nodded, still confused. "Yes? I always keep them just in case." Freshwater nodded, turning to the field. "Good, because I may need both." She said gritting her teeth, reaching out to the field, not allowing her body to flinch back as she started to push her arm through.

Pear gaped. "Freshwater, stop!" she snapped, going over and grabbing her other arm to try to pull her back. Freshwater ignored her and just continued to shove her arm through, and grasping around for the button that activated the force field. Just as the pain was starting to build up, she hit it and the force field went down.

"What were you thinking?" Pearl hissed. Freshwater ignored her, examining the damage. As expected, she had a pretty bad burn mark on part of her arm, the rest of it equally hot. Surprisingly, thoug, the pain hadn't set in yet. "You coming? Holly Blue's call has probably started by now." Freshwater asked, turning to Pearl, who looked shocked and angry. "How…?" she said, staring at Freshwater as if she were alien. Freshwater shrugged with a small smile. "High pain tolerance I guess. So I ask again. You coming?"

…

"And what makes you think this would work?"

Holly Blue flinched under the hard gaze of Yellow Diamond and held her salute solidly. "My Diamond, the defect has some sort of uncanny ability to follow orders. She – it - could have stayed hidden for longer, and she was the one to contact us and lead us to her base. If they had wanted to flee, they would have done so long ago. Anyhow…this was the only thing we could get to emerge at all, and my mission was to make a Pearl on Earth."

Yellow Diamond narrowed her eyes. "Your mission was _also_ to shatter the defect on sight, and you and your fellow Peridot were not only unable to do _that,_ but you ended up getting yourselves captured by the traitors. I should have you shattered immediately for that alone, but then you lied about your completion of the mission. If this defect was trained by you as you say, your disloyalty to the Authority should be taken into account, and I am inclined to travel there myself to get rid of the both of you."

"Calm yourself Yellow." A soothing voice said, placing a hand on Yellow Diamond's shoulder. "You know as well as I do that we cannot afford to shatter gems left and right. Our planet cannot handle it." Holy Blue Agate breathed a mental sigh of relief as she smiled at her Diamond. "Thank you My Diamond. So mercif-"

"However." Blue Diamond interrupted, holding a hand up and immediately cutting off the Agate. Her soft gaze hardened and Holly Blue tried not to squirm. "That does not mean that this lying can go unpunished."

Yellow Diamond sighed, leaning back in her throne. "I would rather have a small court of loyal followers than an army of gems who need to be kept in line like pebbles." She said, glaring daggers at the Agate as she spoke again. "The Jasper guard we sent to escort you and the Peridot. You say they couldn't poof the defect? You're telling me that out of yourself, a Peridot, and a Jasper guard none of you could keep hold of a Pearl?" she sighed, exasperated. "Blue, this is ridiculous."

"We tried!" Peridot blurted, immediately regretting speaking up when her Diamond regarded her with an equally hard gaze. "Silence Peridot. This call is between myself, Blue, and the Agate. Your minor transgressions can wait." She snapped, turning back to the Agate. "Anyhow, there is a huge problem if the Peridot was the one to hold her still long enough. It's a Peridot for Diamond's sake."

Holly Blue Agate licked her lips, trying to calm herself before she tried to defend herself. This was not going well.

"The Peridot is correct, my Diamond. We – _she_ subdued her, but it was easier said than done. From what we gathered, she had been given an order and was hell-bent on completing it. We hit her with gem destabilizers, my whip. Everything we had. And she just….didn't react to any of it." The agate said, a confused expression coming to her face as she remembered the events.

"That sounds impossible." Yellow Diamond said, not convinced. Her blue counterpart raised an eyebrow. "Indeed." She paused for a moment. "However, if what you are saying is true, that would imply that maybe the defect may have some use to us."

"Absolutely not!" Yellow Diamond said, making everyone in the room jump. "Blue." She continued in a hushed voice. "You and I both know that _She_ would not allow a defective gem to be on this planet, let alone taking part in this operation."

"I never said she would be the gem for this operation." Blue Diamond said simply, turning to the Agate. "You say you also have a Crystal Gem Pearl on your ship. I assume she is not cooperative?" Holly Blue nodded. "Yes, My Diamond. She's the reason we aren't at Homeworld yet. She broke our novathrusters."

Blue Diamond hummed. "Alright Agate. I will give you one chance to fix this mistake." Her gaze hardened. "And when I say one chance, I mean one chance and one chance only. If what you say is true, then a gem with this type of fierce loyalty, fused with the fancy exterior you talk about would be above average. Not perfect, but small milestones first."

"White Diamond would not approve of this, Blue." Yellow Diamond warned.

"It wouldn't be permanent. Just so that we can study exactly what goes into an above average Pearl type, and then we can be closer to perfect.

Yellow Diamond sighed. "Fine. But the second White finds about this – because she _will_ find out – this conversation was between you and the Agate. My Pearl and I were not even here." she said, turning back to the Agate "As for your punishment," Holly Blue Agate tensed. From what she had heard, punishments from Yellow Diamond were incredibly harsh. "You will be going to the Human Zoo. If you can tame the Amethyst guards there, and get the Pearls to fuse, I will forget this botched mission. That will be all." She said before turning to Peridot. "As for you, the second your ship is repaired you will return to Earth and complete your mission. That will be all." She said before disconnecting the call.

As soon as the call ended, Peridot let out a growl of disbelief. "You go against the Diamonds and the only thing you get is babysitting duty? That's insufferable!" Holly Blue Agate shrugged with a wide grin. "What can I say? I guess My Diamond's merciful and giving nature is finally rubbing off."


	27. Survival

Freshwater ducked her head around the corner Holly Blue Agate was heading down before grabbing Pearl's arm and running back in the direction of the cell. The two gems not speaking until Freshwater put the force field back up.

"The human zoo? Freshwater we have to act and we have to act now." Pearl hissed, raising a hand to her gem to summon her weapon. Freshwater shook her head furiously and grabbed the gem's arm. "We have to stay low and follow their orders and _then_ strike. It's far too soon, and they haven't seen any progress from you at all. We have to do what they say." Freshwater pleaded. "Anyway, Holly Blue Agate will have to supervise both us _and_ the gems at the zoo. If anything, you'd – _we'd_ be safer there. Right now, Holly Blue is breathing down our backs every second of every day. I'd be lucky if I got you to the escape pod without being shattered, let alone back to Earth."

Pearl sighed, but dropped her hand, her spear retreating back to her gemstone. "I don't know if I can do this." She admitted, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall, still speaking in a soft voice. "It's been so long since I followed orders without question. I intentionally wiped away everything Homeworld has ever taught me. After 5 thousand years I finally learned to be my own gem, but now…" she trailed off, rubbing her temples with one hand.

Freshwater awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other. She wasn't good with her own emotions, let alone helping someone with theirs, so Freshwater just remained silent, leaving the gem to her own thoughts. When the silence started to get awkward, however, Freshwater awkwardly placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder and looked away. "Well…it won't be for long?" she offered lamely, a dark blush tinting her cheeks. "You just have to follow my lead and gain the Agate's trust. Then we'll get you back home."

Freshwater jumped and whipped around when she felt Pearl place her other hand on top of hers. She expected to see the gem's face tear-stroked from all the emotions Freshwater was sure she was bottling, but instead she looked confident. "We'll get _us_ back home." Pearl remarked, giving Freshwater's hand a small squeeze. "I'm not leaving without you."

Freshwater felt her heart fall at Pearl's words. They were sweet, but she knew that wasn't the case. Pearl _had_ to leave. She'd already promised Steven that his motherly figure would be back, and Freshwater vowed that she would either have it done, or die trying. Not only that, but from what she had gathered, Pearl hadn't experienced the same treatment that Holly Blue Agate dished out to her so long ago, and to her knowledge, Pearl didn't know about it. Freshwater had every intention of keeping it that way.

In fact, in her mind Freshwater had one simple plan: Get Pearl home safe, and then accept her shattering like a true gem. Like Lapis had said, she had accepted her fate, but she knew Pearl would never accept it, so she simply decided not to tell her about it.

Anything to complete the mission.

Freshwater shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she forced a smile.

"Yes. Together."

…..

"I still can't believe my Diamond was so merciful." Holly Blue Agate chirped as the ship neared closer to the Human Zoo. "I can. She's been gushing over it for the last few days." Pearl muttered under her breath. Freshwater muffled a snort and put a finger to her lips. Both gems had just finished up changing into their matching outfits (a pink top with short and frilly yellow sleeves, along with a short blue skirt), and were currently pressed against a wall and eavesdropping on Holly Blue's conversation.

"I wouldn't be too excited." Peridot said smugly. "I was just reading up on the reports at the zoo, and apparently their leader got really lax since Pink Diamond was shattered. Humans stopped being brought to the zoo, and only come in in large sporadic waves when Blue Diamond is grieving more-so than usual." Holly Blue Agate snorted. "Nothing I can't fix." She promised with an equally smug smile. "I mean look at the defect. Horrible form, but they wouldn't dare step a toe out of line, because they are fully aware of the repercussions. Isn't that right, Defect?"

Freshwater jumped and her mouth dried as Holly Blue Agate called her out. Freshwater bit her lower lip as she stepped out, head lowered. If Holly Blue knew about Pearl's presence, she hadn't said anything. "What are you doing out of your cell?" Holly Blue demanded.

"We finished changing, and I heard your good mood." Freshwater said, looking up at Holly Blue and saluting her. "It's just…I've never seen you in this good a mood before." She bowed her head. "Forgive me."

"Oh cut her some slack, Agate." Peridot drawled, not looking up from her screen. "Your 'good mood' can be heard for lightyears."

"Can it Peridot." Holly Blue Agate snapped before turning back to Freshwater and observing her. "You don't look as awful as usual in that outfit." Freshwater forced a smile. "Thank you Holly Blue! I am rather fond of it." The blue gem nodded. "Good. Because that's your new uniform. Tell the other Pearl to hurry it up, because we'll be landing soon."

Freshwater nodded and bowed again. "Yes Holly Blue Agate." She said before backing up and quickly sprinting off, grabbing Pearl's hand and dragging her with her.

"Why do you let her treat you like that?" Pearl hissed when they felt they were finally out of earshot.

Freshwater bit her lower lip as she lead the way back to their cell. How was she supposed to answer that? Because it was how she was taught? Because the lessons were practically beaten into her? No that was too blunt, and she had already sworn that Pearl wasn't allowed to know about any of the abuse from Holly Blue Agate's hand and/or whip. So for a moment she pondered the question before answering as ambiguously as she could.

"Survival."

….

"Good luck." Peridot said, giving Holly Blue Agate a small nod as Holly Blue Agate approached the ship exit. Holly Blue Agate grinned. "It's not about luck." She said, momentarily turning to address the Peridot. "It's about skill." She said cockily before waving. "But thanks. And good luck on your cluster mission." She said boredly. Peridot rolled her eyes. "I was talking to the Pearls. Being on this ship with you for this long has been infuriating for me. I couldn't imagine serving you."

Holly Blue Agate simply shrugged, in far good a mood to let the Peridot ruin it for her. "Likewise. Come, Pearls. We have work to do." She said, leading the way out. Pearl immediately started to follow close behind, but Freshwater grabbed her arm and yanked her back, waiting for Holly Blue to take a substantial amount of steps before nodding at Pearl and starting to follow as well.

As soon as the three gems were off the ship, chaos ensued. Gems were everywhere. It was much like a daycare the way gems were running around. Amethyst guards were running around like mad, and didn't even seem to notice the ship liftoff. The gems were playing tag, shapeshifting, running around with one another on their back. Freshwater was even sure that she had seen a few humans outside of their enclosure. Freshwater bit her lower lip and took a few more steps away from Holly Blue Agate, who was now a dark shade of navy blue.

This was going to be harder than they expected.


	28. Babysitting Gig

The room was _filled_ with Amethyst guards. Or rather more Amethyst guards than Freshwater had ever seen before, because truthfully there were only fifteen at most, counting a skinny Jasper guard and a red gem that Freshwater couldn't name. Looking around, Freshwater noted that they all seemed to act like – well, Amethyst. Loud, boisterous, and most of all, fun loving and _full_ of energy.

A few of the Amethyst guards were playing a game of tag with a small group of humans, while others were jumping rope. The skinny Jasper was attempting to complete a game of hopscotch while a red gem atop her shoulders cheered her on, a group of humans behind them encouraging her as well. Amethyst and Steven would have _loved_ it.

Freshwater gulped and looked up nervously at Holly Blue Agate, who appeared to be in a state of shocked fury. Biting her lower lip, she pulled at Pearl's sash and stepped back a few feet, taking the gem with her. Before Freshwater could explain, the door on the opposite end of the room opened and a dark green gem with hair a mixed color of dark and bright purple charged out carrying a paintball gun, a smaller human at her side awkwardly trying to keep up with her as he struggled to drag along a crate full of waterballoons.

"Heads up, gems!" the gem yelled gleefully, raising her gun to the sky and starting to randomly aim, hitting gem and human alike. As soon as the assault started, gems swarmed the bucket and a full-fledged war started.

That was it.

As soon as the Agate glimpsed the bright pink on her oh-so-perfect uniform, she lost it and put two fingers to her lips and whistled loudly, making everything in the room stop entirely. The game of tag stopped immediately, and the skinny Jasper nearly dropped the shorter red gem atop her shoulders as she wobbled and almost lost her balance. The gem with the paintball looked up, her eye still peering through the scope of her weapon. Upon seeing the hard face of the agate, however, she jumped and her finger slipped, accidentally pulling the trigger.

Almost instinctively, Freshwater shoved the Agate out of the way, the paintball instead hitting her right in the chest with a quite noticeable shade of yellow.

Freshwater opened her mouth to apologize to Holly Blue, but the gem cut her off, immediately turning her rage to the gems and humans.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Holly Blue demanded, her arms darting around the room. "Games? Sacks full of water? Makeshift weaponry that shoots colors at unsuspecting gems?" She gestured at everything that was wrong as she spoke, her voice rising more and more with every word. "Which one of you lousy gems is in charge around here?" she growled, glaring around the room.

The gem that had been responsible for almost hitting Holly Blue with a paintball finally shook her head, recovering from the initial shock. "Oh, that'd be me." She said, stepping up with a broad grin, unfazed by the gem's nasty behavior. "Name's Jet! Onyx gem type. Nice to meetcha!" she said, bowing before popping back up with a peppy energy.

Holly Blue's face contorted into a sinister sneer. " _You're_ in charge?" she said, disgusted. Jet paused to think for a moment. "I mean I guess I am? Used to be our old bud Buckstar." Her gaze saddened slightly at their captain's name. "Did a real good job runnin this place too." A murmur of agreement arose from the group of Amethysts and humans alike. "She did her best to run this place top notch! Humans and gems were both happy and healthy, but apparently Yellow ain't like the lax mood." She said, a dark shadow forming over her face. "Showed up and started poofin gems left and right before Blue could calm her down. They took her to trial, and we ain't seen the poor gem since. I was the first one to recover from the shock o' it all, so they put me in charge. We don't run things the way Yellow Clod does, but we get 'em done."

"Do _not_ call Yellow Diamond a clod." Holly Blue warned threateningly before turning to address all of the Amethyst guards. Frankly all of you gems are lucky my merciful Blue Diamond let any of you _live._ I mean _look_ at this place! Humans outside of the zoo? Silly antics instead of being at your post?" she shook her head and rubbed her temples with one hand with a sigh before lifting her head with a small smile on her face. "Luckily for you, that's why I, Holly Blue Agate, was sent here." She said, straightening up. "I'm here to whip you useless chunks of Earth into shape, and we can do so the easy way," her gaze hardened as she summoned her weapon, making Freshwater jump. "Or the hard way. Frankly, I don't care. Are we clear?" she said, glaring around the room.

Everyone seemed to be in a state of shock before a low chorus of "Yes Holly Blue Agate"s rippled through the room. Holly Blue nodded. "Good. Now, as my first order," her gaze hardened as her eyes again landed on one of the humans. "Get the humans back to the zoo. They are not to be taken out unless they show physical signs of distress, and you are not to interact with them unless that is the case. Your job is to guard, not to babysit. Unfortunately, that appears to be mine. After that is done, we will have a mandatory meeting where I will teach each and every one of you how to be the…." She sneered slightly when her eyes landed on Skinny and a few other gems from the Beta Kindergarten. "Or as close as possible to the perfect Quartz. You have exactly ten minutes. Any gem who is late will be severely punished." She raised her weapon and cracked it in the air so her intentions were made clear. "Now hurry it up!" she snapped.

The gems started to pick up the humans one by one, going slowly at first until Holly Blue cracked her whip again and started shouting at them to hurry it up. Jet started to follow close behind, but Holly Blue Agate put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. "Not you." She snapped. "You will put away all of these ridiculous Earth weapons, and then start cleaning the horrible mess you have made of the walls. My Pearls will assist you." A dark shadow passed over Jet's face for a moment before it was replaced with a beaming smile. "Yes Holly Blue Agate!" she chirped, grabbing the basin of water balloons and starting to drag it across the floor. Holly Blue looked smug at the gem's reaction.

Pearl followed after Jet and Freshwater started to trail after her, but Holly Blue called her back. "Yes Holly Blue Agate?" Freshwater said, saluting the gem. "Don't think I've forgotten about you putting your hands on an Agate." Holly Blue Agate growled in a low voice, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing tightly. "I'm warning you, defect, one wrong move and I'm dead. While I'm sure that's something _you_ would be delighted about, if I get dragged down I'm taking you down with me. You and the much better made Pearl. Oh, and by the way." She paused to give Freshwater's arm a hard and firm squeeze as she lowered her lips to her ear. "The Diamonds want to see you during my meeting with the Amethyst guards. If you're smart you won't mess this up. Or things will be rough for all of us. Are we clear?" She warned.

Freshwater immediately tensed up and her form became shaky. "Y-Yes Holly Blue Agate. I understand." She said, trying to keep her voice from wavering. Holly Blue nodded and finally removed her hand. "Good. Now, go join the other Pearl and Onyx guard. That will be all." She said, giving her a sickeningly sweet smile as Freshwater bowed shakily and practically sprinted to find the others.


	29. Not That Lucky

"So you guys serve the Big Blue Clod, huh?" Jet said, grunting as she shoved the large basin. "Yes." Freshwater said simply. Jet pursed her lips. "That sucks. I couldn't imagine bein' a Pearl. No free will, can't just be you. I mean we all kinda go through it, but it seems even worse on your end."

Pearl nodded solemnly. "Yes, it isn't the…best spot in the authority." She said simply. Jet nodded at the simple answer, whistling lowly. "I bet so." An evil grin crossed her face for a moment. "If ya want you can always drop by me and the other gems' rooms. Let off some steam for once."

Freshwater cut Pearl off before she could respond. "Thank you, but Holly Blue Agate wouldn't like that. And neither would Blue or Yellow Diamond. You guys are already on thin ice with both parties, so I think it's better that we all stayed in line." She advised. Jet raised an eyebrow. "Alright alright pipsqueak. Chill out. Oh, speakin' of my room, here we are. Gimme a sec and I'll put this stuff away and grab some stuff to clean this place up a bit." Freshwater nodded stiffly and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall next to the door as Jet walked into her room, the door closing behind her.

Freshwater did her best to keep her composer. Yellow Diamond wanted to talk to her. _Yellow. Diamond!_ And to make matters worse, now her shirt had a big blotch of paint on it. And what if Pearl messed up something in the meeting? Would the diamonds want to talk to her as well? What if-

Freshwater jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and her head shot up, expecting to see Holly Blue. Instead, Pearl's worried gaze peered down at her. "Are you okay?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Freshwater gazed at her fellow Pearl for a moment before shaking her head and looking everywhere but at Pearl. "I'll tell you after my meeting with Yellow." She said bitterly, starting to pull away. Pearl paled, not moving her hand. "Yellow Diamond wants to speak with us?" she said, biting her lower lip. Freshwater shook her head. "No. Just me. At least for now. She'll probably want to check in with you when you've made progress. Oh, speaking of which," Freshwater said, meeting Pearl's eyes. "You have to step your game up, Pearl. Holly Blue probably knows by now that I've been covering you, so she may try to split us up to see how you work on your own."

Pearl scoffed. "Believe me, I'm doing my best. I don't know how you do it. I could never go to such lengths."

"You'll have to. Or I can't get you back to Earth, and you'll never see Garnet, Amethyst, or Steven again." Freshwater said bluntly.

Pearl narrowed her eyes. "Why do you keep talking like that? I've told you time and again that we're _both_ getting out of this mess one way or another." Freshwater growled, suddenly on the defensive. "Not if you don't put your pride away for a second and kiss up to Holly Blue we're not."

"You don't have to kiss up to Holly Blue." Pearl retorted. "You can serve a gem and not kiss the very ground they walk on." Freshwater bit back a laugh. "Not with Holly Blue you can't. Maybe you were fortunate enough to have a master who treated you with respect, but some of us," Freshwater snapped, her voice still barely above a whisper as she finally pulled her arm away. "weren't that lucky." She said, pushing her visor into place. "Now, if you want any hope of ever getting back to Earth, keep your head down and act like the Perfect Pearl your exterior labels you as."

"I'm finished!" Jet exclaimed, bursting out of the room with a mop and broom in hand, along with a spray bottle and abruptly ending the argument. Frowning, she looked between the two gems. Pearl looked dumbfounded, and Freshwater wore a cold, hard stare. Emotionless. "Hey guys cheer up! The zoo ain't that bad I swear." She said, handing the spray bottle to Pearl along with a handful of rags before turning to Freshwater and handing her the mop. "We can hold onto these during the meeting. Now come on, cause we got like thirty seconds to get back to the others."

…..

"This is the Yellow Diamond co- _oh my stars!"_

Freshwater bit back the urge to roll her eyes as Yellow Diamond's Pearl's face contorted into a disgusted scowl. "Hello….you." she said awkwardly, trying to compose herself. "I assume you're the Defect my Diamond told me would be calling?" Freshwater nodded. "Ah yes. I figured. You should consider yourself lucky Blue Diamond let you live this long. If _She_ knew about this –"

"Pearl, who is that on the Diamond line?"

Yellow Pearl jumped and cut off her sentence, turning and saluting someone off-screen. "My apologies, My Diamond. It is the Defective Pearl from earlier." She said, gesturing to the screen. Yellow Diamond sighed. "I'll take it from here. Go get Blue." Freshwater did her best to smoothen out her shirt as the communicator was picked up.

Freshwater felt her mouth go dry in anticipation as Yellow Diamond picked up the Diamond line and observed her. The gem only appeared to have strengthen in power and intimidation after all these years, and if Freshwater's last memories had anything to say about it that was a lot.

"So you gave my Peridot and Jasper guard a hard time, I hear?" It wasn't a question.

Freshwater nodded sheepishly. "Yes…my Diamond?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "I assume that's what you want me to call you. I haven't exactly been claimed by anyone…" she said awkwardly, feeling like she was talking too much.

"My Diamond will suffice." Yellow Diamond said simply, looking up as Blue Diamond entered the room and sat next to her. "So what do you think? Hideous form clearly." She said, momentarily glancing at the defect, who didn't lower their salute and stood rigidly.

Blue Diamond looked the gem up and down. "Obviously. But she may be of some use to us." Freshwater lowered her salute when Blue Diamond waved her off.

"Thank you My Diamond." Freshwater said, bowing low. "I doubt I will be alive longer than you need me to be, but until then I will serve you however I can."

Yellow Diamond scoffed. "I sure hope so."

Blue Diamond ignored her. "Speaking of which, what is the status of the Pearl?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Freshwater bit her lower lip. "The Crystal Gems have rubbed off on her more than was expected." She explained. "She is, however, trying to change her ways."

"And… _you_ are teaching her." Yellow Diamond said in disgusted disbelief. Freshwater blushed. "Y-Yes My Diamond. I have served under Holly Blue Agate for a long time, and she has taught me well. Anyhow, out of everyone on this ship, I'm the one closest to her, as we were teammates. She tried to change me to be like her, but failed." Freshwater explained.

Yellow Diamond scoffed. "She did leave an impact on you, according to the last few reports." She said, pausing for a moment to look at her screen. "Attempting to fuse with the human, almost going back on your word and the Authority. You should be ashamed." She said, turning back and fixating Freshwater with a hard glare.

A dark blue flush crossed Freshwater's face as she lowered her head. "I am, my Diamond. I am very ashamed." Her head popped up again as she turned to Blue Diamond. "But it will never happen again. It was unbecoming of me, a Defective Pearl, to try something like that. According to my programing, my purpose is to live out my duty serving whatever gem will take me, and unfortunately I was with the gems for a long time and had a…..lapse in judgement. Now that Holly Blue Agate is here, however, I've been set straight."

For a moment, Blue and Yellow Diamond were silent as they exchanged a look. After a moment, Blue Diamond spoke. "The night you rebelled against my Agate. What happened?" she asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Oh…one of the Crystal Gems gave me an order, My Clarity." Freshwater said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Which was?" Freshwater looked away at Yellow Diamond's demand and scrambled for an excuse. "To protect my fellow Pearl." She finally said. No matter how much her morals had changed, she couldn't bring herself to lie directly to the Diamonds, and technically this wasn't a lie. It wasn't a full truth either, but that would have to keep her up at night for now.

"As I said, they rubbed off on me, My Diamond. I don't know what happened when I was made, but when I'm given an order, I _have_ to follow it." Freshwater explained. "Following orders is my top priority in my life, and everything else is tunnel visioned out. In that moment of getting the order, it's like a switch goes off in my brain." Freshwater raised a hand to tap at the side of her head, starting to ramble. "And it's like an ever persistent itch that just _won't go away_ until I finish my mission. Orders are all I live for, I suppose."

Yellow and Blue Diamond exchanged another look before Yellow Diamond puled up a stack of reports on her screen. "Theoretically, you shouldn't be alive." She said, her eyes scanning the pages as Blue Diamond looked over her shoulder. "Gem destabilizer, several of the Agate's hits, even direct attacks from a Jasper guard…My Pearl would be no more than a pile of gem shards under the same circumstances." She murmured.

"But her form…." Yellow Diamond scoffed, her eyes momentarily scanning Freshwater. " _She_ Would never allow that, and you know it, Blue."

"Well, how long do you think it will be before she shuts the operation down for good, Yellow?" Blue Diamond whispered back. "For now, defect or not, this is and the other Pearl are all we have. It isn't unlikely that the other Pearl could re-learn these rules, but the drive this Pearl has in particular is something I've never seen before, and I doubt can be taught. It's almost like an instinct."

"But do you remember how dangerous our _last_ permafusion was?" Yellow Diamond argued. "Two gems fused together only made arms and legs, at most." Blue Diamond nodded. "Yes, but those were shattered gems. If we can find a way to fuse gems permanently without shattering them, that would be the end of it."

Yellow Diamond hesitated before raising her gaze back to the Defect, the gems having momentarily forgotten about her presence. "I'll consider it." She said simply. "For now, Defect keep doing what you're doing. Teach the Pearl any and everything you know, and get close to her. Because you may be spending a lot of time together in the future. But be warned." She said, leaning in to the communicator and making Freshwater hold back a shiver. "I will be examining you to make sure that that Agate guard is not trying to pull another wall over my eyes. So if you value your life, do as you're told. Understood?"

Freshwater nodded vigorously. "Y-Yes my Diamond! I understand!" she promised, saluting the gem. Yellow Diamond nodded. "Good. That will be all."

….

Freshwater lay on her side, curled up in a small ball in Holly Blue Agate's walk-in closet. Pearl sat right next to her, but the two gems didn't dare speak to one another. The tension, however, was strong enough to cut through with a knife. The meeting had long since ended, and not much had been done around the zoo, as Holly blue had been gracious enough to give them (and the other Amethyst guards) a night to rest as "they'd need it" with the new changes going into effect the next day after the zoo had been cleaned top to bottom.

Freshwater felt something in the pit of her gut that she hated. According to Steven, it was probably something like guilt. Or anger. She didn't know. She wasn't trained in the art of showing, expressing, and dealing with emotions, so what did she care? But it was annoying now that she didn't have orders, so her thoughts were free to roam and attack her as they pleased.

Looking up at her counterpart, Freshwater opened her mouth to explain what had happened in the meeting, but immediately snapped it shut when she heard the Agate stir in her bed outside their door.

She was tired of sitting in silence, though, so she tapped her gemstone and made a writing motion with her hands, holding one palm open and pretending to write with her other before pointing to Pearl's gemstone, hoping that she 1. Got the message, and 2. Had what she was asking for.

The tension subsided as Pearl looked down at her slightly confused. Freshwater repeated the motions again, but a little slower and this time Pearl's eyes widened in understanding and the gem reached for her gemstone and pulled out a small notebook and a pencil, looking at her quizzically. Freshwater nodded and Pearl handed them over to her, peering over her shoulder as the shorter gem began to write.


	30. Perfectly Imperfect

Note:

 **Bold: Freshwater**

 _Italicized: Pearl_

 **Sorry I snapped earlier. I guess the meeting with Yellow Diamond had me a little on edge.**

 _It's alright….In a way you were right. Unfortunately, Homeworld's views of Pearls have changed since I was made. When I was given to the gem I served, Pearls were treated somewhat respectfully. We were still the lowest of the low, but frankly a lot of these rules are absurd things that I've never heard of. The only rules I really had to follow was be seen but not heard. I was still allowed to roam around wherever I pleased after being dismissed by my gem._

 **I still shouldn't have snapped at you, though. It was hard for me to adjust my way of thinking, so it's probably just as hard, if not harder, for you. I should have been more understanding.**

 _It's an understandable reaction, nonetheless. If I'm honest, I felt the same way when you first showed up on Earth. I was frustrated that you weren't changing as quickly as I thought you should have._ Pearl laughed lightly and rolled her eyes as she wrote the next sentence. _Frankly, it was hypocritical of me. Rose stuck by my side through thick and thin and saw me change from a Pearl into a gem with almost human-like qualities. Truthfully, I never changed until after Steven was born, so she was never around to see it…_

Freshwater frowned and arched an eyebrow as she read. **Rose Quartz cared about you?**

Pearl smiled softly. _Yes. Rose cared about me very much._ Her gaze hardened momentarily before softening again. _Not as much as Greg, but she loved me nonetheless. Whether it was romantic or platonic I will never understand. But she did care about me, I am certain. Forgive me. I sometimes forget that, like you said, I got lucky with the gem I was placed under. I couldn't imagine having to work under a gem like Holly Blue._

Freshwater snorted. **Trust me you don't want to. It was….wasn't the best experience in the world. If I'm being frank, it was torture. It….it** _ **is**_ **torture.**

Pearl pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as she wrote. _I can't help but admire your ability to even fake loyalty to her. She's just so unbearable.._

Freshwater shrugged. **You get used to it.** She wrote, her words giving off a matter-of-fact tone.

 _But that's just it. You shouldn't have to get used to it. She just seems so….unnecessarily cruel. Diamonds knows that she isn't perfect, so why should she (and the Diamonds) expect you or I to_ _ **be**_ _?_

 **That's…that's just how things are Pearl. Ruling by intimidation is how they work. I assume you followed Rose Quarts because you had some form of relationship with her? You didn't fear her at all?** She pursed her lips and continued when Pearl nodded. **That's….nt how things are for the unlucky ones. We (or at least I) didn't follow Holly Blue Agate because I felt for her, wanted her best interest at heart, or because we had some sort of friendship. I followed her out of sheer terror of what she would do to me if I didn't do everything she told me to.**

Pearl pursed her lips as she took the notepad back and tapped the pen against it, wondering if she should ask her next question.

 _What exactly were you afraid of? I would assume that the threat of shattering would almost become something to look forward to just to get Holly Blue off your back._

Freshwater bit her lower lip. **Well, yes, in a way you'd be right about that. The threat of shattering only really scared me the first time I heard it. So she had to find other ways to keep me in line.** She wrote, choosing her words carefully. She didn't mind telling Pearl about factual things that had occurred (to her it was pretty much giving a report) but really wanted to avoid any further emotional attachment. So before Pearl had a chance to pry the information out of her, Freshwater forced a yawn and stretched. **I'm tired, so I'm going to try to get some rest. You should too.**

Pearl frowned when Freshwater shot her question down, but she wasn't discouraged. Freshwater would open up to her when she was ready, and in her eyes, simply talking about her past was a step in the right direction. _Well, alright. I don't sleep, so you can take the first shift. If I get too tired, I'll wake you up._

Freshwater nodded and moved so she was laying next to Pearl and curled up in a ball. Truthfully, she wasn't tired either. Not only had she had enough of Pearl dancing around her deepest darkest secrets, but she just hated sleeping in general. She felt so exposed when she was asleep. Like someone would take advantage of her slumber to attack her when her guard was down. Looking up at Pearl from her spot on the ground, however, she considered performing the sleeping ritual. Surely, Pearl would never let anything bad happen to her, or at least would wake her at the first sign of trouble.

Freshwater yawned and gave in, closing her eyes. She was being paranoid. Pearl wasn't one to beat around the bush about her feelings. In fact, if anything she was as emotionally aware as Freshwater was emotionally incompetent. And, anyway, Pearl still didn't know about Freshwater's horrible deed, so she had no reason to be angry with her. Freshwater bit her lower lip guiltily and shoved her thoughts away, trying to forget her attempt to turn in the Crystal Gems.

Hopefully her plan to fix things would go without a hitch. What happened to her didn't concern Freshwater. As long as Pearl got home safely, it didn't matter. She just had to jump through a few more hoops and put on a show for the Diamonds until their guard was down, and then sneak Pearl off on an escape pod back to Earth.

But for now? Freshwater yawned, feeling her eyes grow heavy. Now, she needed to sleep.

…

Freshwater opened her eyes when she heard a loud crash, awakening her from her slumber. She was...back in Beach City? "Wh…what?" Freshwater wondered allowed, scratching her head as she started to walk to the temple. She didn't remember being dropped off from the ship. Matter-of-fact, she didn't even remember escaping from Holly Blue, the Diamonds, the Zoo -

Freshwater paused when she heard something crunch underneath her feet. Looking down and raising her foot, she let out a cry of horror at the sight of the blue, red, white, and purple gem shards were scattered at her feet.

Freshwater fought for some type of explanation. These weren't the Crystal Gems. It was some sort of weird coincidence. Freshwater felt a shudder run down her back as she shook her head and ran to the Temple, throwing the door open. She then ran over to the temple door and pounded on it, yelling for the gems.

Feeling her heart sink, Freshwater wandered back to the shattered gem shards in a daze. Staring down at them, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. The confusion subsided as she felt herself consumed with guilt. "This is all my fault." Freshwater whispered, kneeling in front of the shards and putting her head in her hands.

"I lead them to here, and now they're all dead. I single-handedly killed three gems for my own sake." She whispered, hugging herself and closing her eyes so she didn't have to look at the gem shards. It was her fault they had perished, she knew it. If only she had –

"They're not real."

Freshwater yelped and jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head, she her eyes widened when she saw Steven. "They're not real." He repeated, offering her a small smile and picking up one of the gem shards. Freshwater reached out to smack it out of the boy's hands, but he clenched his fist, to her horror. Opening up his hand, Freshwater's jaw dropped.

Nothing.

No tinier gem shards. Just a cloud-like poof and they were gone.

"That doesn't make them any more unsettling." Steven said, grimacing when his eyes landed on one of Ruby's shards.

Freshwater hesitated, but eventually picked up one of Pearl's gem shards and inspected it. It was the same color, but the second she closed her hand around it gently, it poofed. "What's going on?" Freshwater muttered, confused.

"You're dreaming." Steven explained, sitting in the sand. "I...I think we both are right now. I've been having this dream every night since I got back to Earth. It's usually just me and the shards, so I'm either glad that my brain dreampt up someone to talk to while I as bored, or I'm glad that I can talk to you in my dream. Even if it's an awful concept."

Freshwater nodded solemnly before sitting next to Steven. She was familiar with dreams, but she had never actually had one. Frankly, she never even really slept. "So, can all humans communicate through dreams?" she asked, looking at the ocean and mentally kicking herfself for never acknowledging its beauty when she'd had the chance.

Steven shook his head. "No. I think this is just a mom thing. I didn't even know I could do it until tonight. Like I said, it was just this weird dream for a while now. I told Garnet about it, and she said it was probably from all the stress. I…I don't think it's that though. " He said, leaning back in the sand.

Freshwater arched an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "I think it's the guilt." Steven said. "Not being able to fuse with you to save the gems. Not being able to do anything as they took us to the ship. Not being able to do anything when they took you and Pearl away…." He sighed, looking away bitterly. "I'll never be able to live up to my mom."

Freshwater frowned. "Steven, don't beat yourself up. I'm not the best person to talk to about emotions, but logically _none_ of this is your fault." She looked away at the gem shards bitterly. "It's mine. I gave up everything, almost got you all killed. You're a human child. Nothing is in your control." She placed a hand on Steven's shoulder. "And that's how it should be. You shouldn't have to worry about having to live up to someone. Just be a kid."

Steven looked at Freshwater with a small smile. "This probably explains why I connected with you so easily. The guilt is weighing you down like it's weighing me down." He placed a hand on Freshwater's leg. "I don't think it's your fault. You were acting like they taught you. You didn't ask for things to be this way."

Freshwater gave him a soft smile. "Thanks Steven." She sighed as she and Steven glanced at the pile of gem shards. "It doesn't change how I feel, but I appreciate your empathy." She said.

Steven smiled. "Garnet says we don't have to change how we feel about things. Emotions are complicated." He grunted as he stood up, offering a hand to Freshwater, who took it. "It's just that we understand what we feel and how we feel it. We shouldn't have to fix anything."

Freshwater stroked her chin. "Aah the fusion. She is rather intelligent about these things."

Steven nodded with a small laugh. "Well she is to people, so twice the knowledge I guess." He raised his head to look at the sky as a loud, annoying beeping sound filled the air. "Aw that sucks. I forgot I set an alarm early this morning to look for Peridot." He said grumpily as the world around them started to darken.

"You're waking up, I assume?" Freshwater said, genuinely saddened about their conversation being as short as it was.

" 'Fraid so." Steven said, giving her a tight hug. "Please take care of yourself, Freshwater. And tell Pearl I said hi." Freshwater nodded, hugging him as tight as she could despite the fact that his body was slowly dissolving as the alarm clock grew louder.

"I'll do my best, Steven."

…

"Congratulations, defect. Now was that really so hard?"

Freshwater jolted and opened her eyes. The black nothingness that surrounded her was now gone, and she was standing in front of Blue and Yellow large crowd, eerily silent crowd of gems behind her. Looking down, disoriented, she realized that she was wearing a snazzy blue uniform with the Diamond Authority's logo on it.

"Steven?" she said, looking around, disoriented. Was she still dreaming? She couldn't have two dreams in one night, right?

Yellow Diamond waved a hand dismissively, catching Freshwater's attention. "Oh, you mean Rose Quartz? We did away with her before we called you in. It's no worries, Defect. You couldn't have known. It was a good disguise." Yellow Diamond said.

"Yes. A horrible, hideous form." Blue Diamond said, scoffing. "However….it appears her form has little to nothing to do with her horrible decisions." She said, giving Freshwater a small smile and lowering her hand to Freshwater's level. "Her horrible appearance just happened to reflect her outter nature. But you're different."

Freshwater gulped as she stepped on Blue Diamond's hand, her heart pounding in her chest as Blue Diamond held her at eye level. What the hell was going on?

"Yes. You have earned my begrudging respect, defect." Yellow Diamond said, giving her a small nod. "You almost single handedly completed this mission, and have proven to be of much use to Blue and I." she paused. "Close to Perfect as I've ever seen."

"So you…want _me_ to serve you?" she asked in disbelief. What the _hell_ was going on? The Diamonds wouldn't change their mind this drastically _this_ quickly. Freshwater doubted they would even change their mind at all!

Blue Diamond smiled softly. "For now. We'll probably have to keep you hidden from White for the time being, however."

Freshwater frowned. "But, My Diamond, were you not going to have the Pearl and I fuse? Because of my…appearance?" she said hesitantly.

Yellow Diamond pursed her lips. "No. We'll have to figure something else out. Blue and I decided that having you train her would be a waste of your time, as you could be serving us instead."

Freshwater bit her lower lip. "So….what's going to happen to her?"

Blue Diamond smiled softly. "No need to fret, Defect. We cannot afford to simply shatter gems left and right, as you know. She will be serving under your previous Master, Holly Blue. We figured she also deserved an award for training _you_ so well."

Freshwater's knees buckled as her gaze shot down to the ground far below. Holly Blue currently stood in the midst of the crowd, her hand on Pearl's lower back, and the gem looked bruised, battered, and dejected. All the fight appeared to have been beaten out of her, and she stared straight ahead, emotionless.

Freshwater felt her head spin as Yellow Diamond spoke. "Who would have thought a Pearl who looked like that would be so useful to us? So physically horrifying and yet so determined. So emotionless. So driven. So perfectly imperfect."

She glanced down at the crowd and nodded at the crowd as they all spoke in unison, repeating after her.

"So driven, so perfect. The Perfectly Imperfect Pearl."

 **Oooh that chapter was long. Or, at least long compared to how much I usually write. Hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it! I have a long weekend next weekend, so I'll update then!**


	31. Human(?)

Freshwater's eyes shot open as she gasped for breath, clutching her chest as her breath rose up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Her body was drenched in sweat, and her mouth was completely dry.

"A bad dream, I assume?" a quiet voice asked from right above her.

Freshwater's gaze snapped up and she jumped up, the blankets that had been placed over her falling to the ground as she rushed forward and immediately started looking her over, taking her face in her hands and looking at her gem, rubbing it gently for cracks and repeatedly asking if she felt okay, needed anything, weak, tired.

"Freshwater, I'm fine." Pearl protested, a confused look crossing over her face as Freshwater inspected her with lips pressed in a thin line. "What's gotten into you?"

Freshwater didn't respond until she was done, stepping back and looking Pearl up and down, still unsure. She paused to pinch her arm, something she had seen Steven done when he wasn't sure _he_ was dreaming. "Dreams." She muttered. "I'm glad you're okay." She said after an awkward beat of silence. Pearl arched an eyebrow. "And why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

"Could Rose connect to people through dreams?" she asked, avoiding the question. Pearl nodded, still confused. "Yes? Wait, how do you know that?"

"I think I just talked to Steven." Freshwater said, taking her visor off and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Or, at least I did for a few moments before he woke up." Pearl's eyes widened. "Really? What did he say? Is he alright? What about Garnet and Amethyst?" Freshwater bit her lower lip and rubbed her neck sheepishly. "He didn't say much. He was about to wake up by the time I got there. He does miss you though. Before he left, though, he did say that the rest of the gems were looking for Peridot. I'm not sure what that means for us, but you should know." She explained.

Pearl paled. "Peridot? She hasn't reported back to Yellow Diamond yet?"

Freshwater shook her head. "Apparently not. I guess her mission for the "Cluster" or whatever is proving more difficult than she thought it would be. The Gems are probably keeping her at bay." She reasoned. "Hopefully they'll take care of her by the time you - " she paused, forcing herself to "correct" herself. "we. Get back to Earth. Until then, though…." Freshwater stepped forward, her gaze turning serious as she removed her visor. "We do whatever Holly Blue Agate says. Everything she wants, we do it." She said, flinching at the memory of how Pearl looked in her dream as she took a shaky breath. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if you got hurt on my watch." She muttered, crossing her arms and looking away.

Pearl nodded. "I will. What did the Diamonds talk to you about yesterday?" Pearl asked curiously, cocking her head to the side. Freshwater bit her lower lip. "They…." She met Pearl's gaze for a moment before looking away immediately. "It doesn't matter." She finally said. "Future plans that don't matter, because we'll be long gone by then."

Pearl opened her mouth to argue and press for details, but shut it immediately when the closet door opened, bathing the small area in light. "Rise and shine, gems." Freshwater whipped around and immediately saluted the gem. "Good morning, Holly Blue Agate." she greeted. Pearl nodded and did the same, saluting the gem. "Yes, good morning Holly Blue." She said, lowering her head for a moment before raising it again.

Holly Blue paused as she observed Pearl's salute. "Better." She said simply, shoving a piece of manuscript paper in the taller gem's hands. "This is a list of the things that need to be completed before the day is over with. Make sure it gets done, or there will be serious repercussions." She said, fixing both gems with a hard stare.

Pearl nodded. "Yes Holly Blue."

Freshwater dropped her salute and bowed. "Yes Holly Blue Agate."

Holly Blue Agate smiled smugly. "Good. If you finish your assignments, which I doubt you will, come back to me. We are going to fix this place up and make it as if this place isn't run by an incompetent Onyx and her underlings. Speaking of which, she will also be helping you with this assignment. I expect it to be as Perfect as you were intended to be." She said, her eyes boring into Freshwater.

Freshwater bit back a groan, doing her best to keep her pokerface.

"We will get it all done, Holly Blue." The Agate raised an eyebrow when Pearl spoke. "That's the spirit, Pearl." She said with a small nod, noting the small step in the right direction.

…..

Freshwater groaned as she knocked on Jet's door. "What's taking her so long." She muttered. "We only have a day to get all of this done, and if we don't start now, we're all screwed." She muttered, looking over Pearl's shoulder. "Sweeping, feeding the humans, dusting, cleaning the collecting laundry from all the guards." She groaned. "This is going to take _ages._ " She muttered. Pearl shook her head. "We'll get it done." She promised. "She reminds me a lot of Amethyst. As long as we keep her entertained, the job will get done."

Freshwater rolled her eyes. "This really is babysitting." She muttered, raising her fist to bang on the door again. Before she could, however, the door opened and Jet hurried out, quickly shutting the door behind her and turning, trying desperately to shove the key in the key whole. She jumped when she heard Freshwater clear her throat.

"Oh geeze-! Don't scare me like that, Pearly!" Jet said, blushing furiously as she turned around accidentally dropping the keys as she forced a smile. "It's Fresh- Defect." Freshwater corrected, ignoring the Onyx's hand as she hoisted herself up and brushed herself. Jet frowned. "Aw man I don't wanna call you that demeaning name. You don't seem defective to me. Unique, now that's the word. How 'bout I call you that instead? Unique, or Uni for short?"

Freshwater sighed. "Call me whatever you want, Onyx." she said, crossing her arms. She was still sore about having ruined her shirt. "Why were you rushing out of here anyway?" Pearl asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. Jet stiffened, glancing behind her as if she expected the door to open behind her at any moment.. "Oh, uh nothin' major. Just wanted to get these chores started, I suppose." She said, raising her own copy of the manuscript Holly Blue had given her. "Speakin' of which, we should probably get this stuff done, huh?" she said. "Just gimme a sec to lock up, and we'll get going." She said, bending to pick up the keys she'd dropped.

Freshwater and Pearl exchanged a look. "What are you hiding?" Freshwater asked bluntly.

Jet sweated nervously. "Don't know what you're talking about Uni." She said, finally grabbing the key and turning back to the door to open it. Before she could, however, the door swung open, smacking Jet in the face and causing her to stumble back as a small wearing a fluffy black duffel coat with the hood out came out. Despite the comfortable temperature, he was also wearing a pair of black gloves, a scarf, jeans, and a visor. Together, none of his skin was visible and you couldn't make out any discernable features, but Freshwater immediately recognized him as the boy that had been helping Jet pass out the water-balloons the day before.

"You said we'd have training today, Jet –" Freshwater barely caught the boy's words when he spoke, as the scarf muffled his speech. Despite the darkness of the visor, he appeared to recognize Freshwater and Pearl as well, falling silent and going rigid.

Freshwater looked at Jet and put her face in her hands. "Holly Blue Agate said to put all the humans away." She said, lowering her hands and glaring as Jet picked her up and stood in front of him, raising her hands defensively. "He's….not a human." She said, gently pushing him back so he was further in the room. "Honestly, I don't know what he is, but he isn't a human. He doesn't belong with the humans." She paused to pull her weapon from her gem on her left eye, twirling it and locking eyes with Pearl, then Freshwater. "And I'll be damned if I let you or that clod put him with them."

Freshwater snorted. "How do _you_ know what a human looks like?" she demanded, looking the small figure up and down. "Because I used to collect them for the zoo." Jet snapped. "I know more about humans than anyone on board this ship. Buckstar taught me everythin' I know about how to take care of them. And this – " she glanced back at Johnathon. "Ain't a human."

Pearl stepped forward. "Can you prove it? If it is a human, we have to put them back in the zoo. It's what's best if you want to avoid Holly Blue Agate's wrath." She said, putting a hand on Freshwater's shoulder to silence her.

Jet's gaze softened. "See, this is why I like you. You're not so quick to itch for a fight." She said, lowering her weapon but not putting it away. "I'd advise you not to tell Holly blue about him, though." She said with a warning tone. "Cause if anything happens to him, then this whole ship will throw a fit. The Amethyst guards are protective of all the members of our crew, and he–" she pointed a finger at the figure "is a member of our crew." =

Freshwater frowned. "I make no promises." She said, crossing her arms. "It's my duty to be honest with Holly Blue Agate." Jet shrugged. "Fine, tell her if you like. But if he gets hurt, good luck getting off this ship alive." She warned, stepping back and turning to the "human".

"Okay, Johnathon, you can take it off now….no they won't hurt you. I won't let them, and neither will Skinny, Cornelion, or anyone else." She said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. It took some convincing, but the boy eventually stepped out into the light and took a deep breath, removing the hat from his head and shaking his hair out of his eyes.

Freshwater gasped and Pearl's hands flew to her mouth, eyes widening. The boy laughed awkwardly and ran a hand through vibrant pink hair sheepishly. "Uhm…Nice to meet you?" he said, extending a hand to Pearl, who took it, shocked. "I'm Johnathon." He said with a small smile as they shook hands, her pale white hand in his dark pink one.


	32. Burning Hatred

_**(Angst warning. Like HELLA angst. Like this chapter hurt to write, so yeah Angst(TM). You've been warned. )**_

"Thanks, Skinny! I'll be back to pick him up later tonight!" Jet whispered, giving Jonathon an encouraging push into the room of the Off-Color and Beta Amethysts. "Please do." The Beta Jasper said, biting her lower lip as he was immediately swooped into a red gem's arms, whooping and giggling loudly. "Shh, Carnelion, cool it. If Holly Blue finds him in here, who knows what she'll do. She hates Off-Color gems as much as the Diamonds, I'd _hate_ to see her reaction to an Off-Color Human."

"Aw, come on Skinny, look at him!" Carnelion said, tossing Johnathon up in the air and catching him. "Humans are so cute~!" She cooed. Johnathon blushed a bright red. "I'm not a kid anymore guys." He said, embarrassed. "Whatever you say, runt." One of the much larger Amethysts said, ruffling his hair and hoisting him so he was sitting on her shoulders. "You'll always be a kid to us."

"Uhm, I hate to break up the reunion." Freshwater said, poking her head into the room. "But we should probably get going if we still want to finish that list." She said, holding up the piece of manuscript paper. Jet sighed. "Alright, alright." She said, waving at the other gems as she followed Freshwater out. "Killjoy." She muttered, crossing her arms. Freshwater shrugged. "Call me what you like, but me being a killjoy is probably what's keeping you alive." She said with a small cocky grin.

Jet rolled her eyes. "For a Pearl, you've got a really cocky attitude." She said as the two gems started making their way back to Pearl, who had decided to get a head start on the cleaning while Jet and Freshwater found a place to store Johnathon for the time being. Freshwater shrugged as they continued in silence for a while. "You know you can't hide him forever." She said, finally speaking up.

Jet sighed. "Yeah, I know. We all know." She slouched and shoved her hands deep in her uniform pockets. "We honestly never even thought about hiding him before. He just kind of existed as part of the family since he was born." She explained. "Here, we didn't really see defects. I mean you saw the Betas. They're pretty much the outcasts of Homoeworld, so they – _we_ know what it's like to have everything positive about you overshadowed by one negative thing that we can't control."

Freshwater paused, pursing her lips. "You sound like an Amethyst back on Earth." She said simply, rounding a corner and waving at Pearl, who was observing the room and taking note of all the splotches of paint, a bucket of paint at her side. Coming closer, Freshwater grimaced at the sight of the many faded patches of blues, yellows, and greens that splattered the walls. They looked like they had been painted over, but only to the point that you would only notice if you were close enough.

Freshwater crossed her arms and glared at Jet, who just shrugged. "What'd you expect? After the war, there weren't any gems to fight, so the Amethyst guards got bored and restless. They have fighting in their genes, and started tearing each other apart 'till Buckstar started a Capture the Flag / Paintball game once a week. It's been a tradition for as long as I can remember."

Pearl sighed. "Well I hope you weren't too attached to the memories of it, because I doubt Holly Blue will allow that to continue." She said, handing Freshwater and Jet two large paint-rollers.

Jet sighed and took the paint roller reluctantly. "Man I wish Buck was here." She muttered as the gems spread out and set to work.

…..

Luckily, Holly Blue had only assigned the room that the three gems were standing in for the day. By the looks of it, though, there would be more rooms to come, as Jet described the paintball wars as pretty free-reign in terms of where was on and off limits. Unfortunately, however, this meant there were a lot many more places to miss, so Pearl's keen eye came in really handy, even if it slowed progress slightly.

The gems worked in silence for the most part, allowing Freshwater to focus on the task at hand. While it seemed easy, truthfully it was frustrating as the more places she completed the more places she seemed to have missed.

After a few hours, Freshwater was growing slightly anxious about the steadily approaching promise. The room hadn't been the only thing on the list for the day by a long shot, and by now they had already spent four hours painting over the splotches on the walls So that left, what, five hours to finish everything else? Sweeping, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, laundry….sure that could be done in one room, but this was the entirety of the zoo they were talking about.

There was no way they were going to get it all do-

"You mind if I join you?" Freshwater looked up when she heard Pearl's voice. "I finally finished my portion of the wall. Or at least, the spots that I could reach." She said, pursing her lips as she looked far above her, fairly certain that there were many other hidden places that she couldn't see or reach.

Freshwater shook her head and moved to the right to give the Pearl substantial space, but Pearl only stood roughly four or five feet away from her. "You're stressed out." She said, dunking her paint-roller into the bucket. It was more of an observation than a question. Freshwater bit her lower lip as she continued to work. "Don't worry." Pearl said with a small smile. "If we don't finish everything on the list, maybe we can pacify Holly Blue Agate with the state of the room. We're not even done yet, and look around. You can't possibly tell me it doesn't look better." The pale gem said, gesturing to the walls.

The shorter gem paused for a moment, biting back a smile. "How are you so positive?" she asked, returning to her work and feeling her anxiety decrease ever so slightly. "I'm not." Pearl said bluntly. Freshwater side-eyed her, confused. Pearl sighed. "To be frank, I've only been repeating things that Rose would say if she were in this situation. She'd try to stay optimistic, or at least relatively neutral." The gem explained.

"Rose? You mean Rose Quartz?" Freshwater and Pearl jumped at Jet's question. They'd honestly forgotten that the gem was even there.

The Pearls exchanged a look, momentarily fumbling for an answer.

Before either Pearl could stumble out a lame excuse, a broad grin crossed Jet's face. "While why didn't you say you were friends with her?" she immediately lowered her voice and looked around, as if the room was being taped. "Rose Quartz was one of the first gems to try to persuade us to join the Rebellion. She traveled far and wide, and even came here to recruit gems for her army. The zoo ain't have many gems – hell I wasn't even _made_ yet. But Buckstar said she considered it for a minute. Only reason she didn't was for the humans." Her eyes lit up. "And they say Rose _loved_ the humans. She taught Bucksar herself to see the beauty in them, even if they are weak and incapable of defending themselves." The gem stopped reminiscing for a moment and arched a suspicious eyebrow.

"If you knew Rose at some point, how'd you end up here under Holly Blue?" she asked, confused. "Believe me, it's a long story." Freshwater said simply. "A long story that we probably shouldn't talk about in public, just in case Holly Blue hears."

Jet opened her mouth to argue, but appeared to decide against it. "Aah, that's true. Sorry. It's just since the Rebellion and what she did….it's like nobody wants to talk about the _good_ things she did. The good things she tried to do." Jet said, not subdued by the answer but deciding to take it for now as she continued to speak, picking up the paintrolling where she'd left off. "Every time I tried to ask Buckstar about her, she got all angry and defensive about it. It's like she did this one horrible thing, and everyone kinda forgot that she's the one who got the ball rolling in how we treated and continue to treat humans here. She took the 'Zoo' out of Human Zoo, I guess."

Freshwater glanced up at Pearl for an explanation, but to her surprise, her fellow Pearl looked just as clueless as she was. "Forgive me, I'm not trying to doubt you. But how did Rose do all of that single-handedly?" Freshwater asked, her usual harsh and abrasive tone she usually took with Jet now gone.

Jet's eyes became far away. "How'd she do it? Well, like I said I wasn't there, but Buckstar's told the story so many times that it's pretty much engraved in my memory."

…

 _ **Flashback**_

"How many times do I have to tell you? We're _not_ joining your rebellion." Bubkstar snarled, slamming her hands on the desk and glaring at the Quartz in front of her. "Not only is the likelihood of you succeeding slim to none, but just talking about it?" the sky blue gem glanced around the room as if they were being watched before continuing in a soft voice. "That's a suicide wish." She said, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her temples. At first she had laughed off Rose's idea, thinking she was just babbling nonsense like the other gems, but after the fifth visit from her, the gem was growing frustrated.

Rose didn't even flinch at Buckstar's hostility. "We won't know unless we try, Buckstar." She said. "For all we know, the rebellion could be successful." Buckstar barked out a laugh. "Yeah, successful in getting all of us killed." She muttered, her voice softening when she looked up at Rose.

"Rose. You know I care about you. We _all_ care about you. I don't want to report you to Pink Diamond, but I will if I must." She said in a soft voice. "If you want to throw your life away for the small possibility of you escaping to a planet that will more than likely die by the time you get there, I can't stop you." Her gaze hardened again. "But I also can't allow you to take other gems down with you."

Rose opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted when the door flew open and a Jasper guard stepped in, talking far too quickly for Buckstar to understand her.

"Woah, woah there Skinny chill out. Take a deep breath." Rose said, her attention shifting from Buckstar to the Beta gem, a concerned look on her face. "Yeah, Skinny calm down." Buckstar agreed, gesturing to the seat next to Rose. "Now tell me. What's got you all worked up?" she said.

Skinny closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as Rose stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. She tried to guide the gem to the seat, but Skinny resisted, immediately blurting out, "One of the humans. They don't look too good."

Rose's attention was immediately piqued. "Well, let's go see them then, shall we?"

"Or, we call one of the many Peridots as pro-protocol?" Buckstar cut in, glaring at Rose. "You're rebelling against the Diamonds, Rose, not me. I may show more compassion towards the humans, but I'm not breaking protocol for them."

"I did. She still looks awful, though, and they don't know what's wrong with her. Big stomach, and she looks really bloated. Been doing that weird thing humans do when they're sick? Where they spew up their lunch and junk." Skinny said, biting her lower lip. Rose stiffened, immediately recalling all of the interactions she'd had with humans on Earth. One particular memory of a conversation came to mind in which a woman coddling a tiny human had explained the concept of infants to her, eventually leading to the explanation of human pregnancy.

"We have to go, now." Rose said, grabbing Skinny's arm and practically dragging her out of the room. Buckbeak growled in frustration and ran after them.

…

"And what makes you think that you, a Quartz, know more about humans than I do? Just because you spend more time with humans doesn't mean you know everything abou- Hey!" Rose ignored the Peridot's rantings and barged into the zoo's Nursing station. It wasn't much, but it really didn't need to be much in the eyes of the Diamonds. There were plenty of humans on Earth, so if one died, they could just get another in no time.

Rose growled lowly at that memory but shook it away as she skidded to a halt in front of the only cot, taking the hand of the woman lying there, her heart breaking at the sight. The poor thing was extremely frail, and struggled to open her eyes to even look at the woman.

"You're pregnant?" Rose observed, using a cloth to wipe up the dried throw up on her mouth. The woman's eyes appeared to focus and widen at Rose's understanding, giving a weak nod. "Yes…" she croaked weakly. "My partner and I. An Onyx gem hybrid. We were on our way to the Hospital to deliver Johnathon when we were taken. Something about a human zoo."

Rose felt her face heat up immediately, rage consuming her for a moment. Despite this, however, she spoke in a calm voice. "Yes, that is where you are now. I'm so sor-"

"Rose, what the _hell_ is your deal toda-"

Rose whipped around and locked eyes with Buckstar. "Not now." She said. Her voice was soft, yet cutting, and the gem found herself relenting to Rose's demand. She and the gem were both Quartzes who were pretty much on the same level, but Buckstar didn't want to test her strength against the gem.

"There's a human inside this human." Rose said, turning to Peridot. "That's why their stomach is so big." She explained, turning back to the human, who nodded at her gratefully. The Peridot's eyes widened in understanding and she immediately snapped to life. "Human pregnancy. Yes I read many reports about this. One moment!" then she quickly rushed out to gather the needed materials, along with two other Peridots to help.

"We don't have many pregnancies at the zoo." Rose explained, stroking the woman's hair as she did her best to comfort her. The human frowned. "I understand….so you just take developed humans from their loved ones?"

Rose flinched at the humans' words. "Not after tonight we don't." she growled under her breath.

The human smiled softly. "You are not like the other people here…..you are kind." She said, giving Rose's hand a small squeeze as her eyes fluttered shut.

Rose felt her heart leap as she started to poke the human's face, trying to keep her awake. "Stay awake, human." She said, trying to keep her voice from rising in alarm. "Find a human for my son." The woman said, her voice distant. Rose shook her head. "I won't need to do that." She said stubbornly. "You're going to be okay. You're just in a lot of pain right now." Rose's head snapped back to Buckstar, urgency in her voice. The gem didn't even have to speak for Buckstar to know what she wanted her to do, nodding and running out of the room and calling for the Peridots.

After the gem had left, Rose turned her attention back to the human. "You're going to be okay." She promised, feeling like she was talking more to herself than to the human. "The human inside you. What have you named him?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm. "Johnathon. And mine is Juliana." She said, managing to open her eyes to look at Rose, who smiled. "What a lovely name." she complimented. "Two lovely names for two lovely humans." She said, stroking the human's hair.

Juliana smiled with a soft laugh. "Thank you…Rose is nice as well. A nice name for a nice woman…." She said, letting out a content sigh as she sank into the pillow. "This bed is comfortable…." She said, as the room started to darken around her. "Goodnight, Rose." She murmured, rubbing her stomach. "Goodnight Johnathon."

…..

Rose's body shook with sobs as she held the small, lifeless infant to her chest. Buckstar wasn't sure what to do, so she simply rubbed the gem's back. The human body lay still on the cot, and Buckstar wasn't sure what was worse – having the lifeless form of a human and just lying there as if napping, or having only the shattered remains of a fallen comrade.

Rose was inconsolable, and Buckstar wasn't sure how to react. Thankfully, she had never lost a gem, so she didn't know the pain that came with that. It confused her. Rose barely even knew this human or its offspring, and now she was sobbing for both of their lost souls as if she'd known them her whole life? She didn't understand.

…...

Rose wasn't sure what to do with herself. If she had known that Blue and Yellow would do this when she tried to shut down her Earth colony idea, if she had only known about the horrible morals (or lack thereof) at the zoo.

This is all my fault. She thought, crying harder and clutching the small human tighter. Other gems may have called her soft, weird, but she didn't care. This was a human life. This was –

Rose's wallowing was interrupted when thought she felt movement in her arms. Freezing, she waited and looked down, more of her tears falling on the infant. To her surprise, the small infant's chest was rising and falling very slowly. Choking, Rose abruptly stood, raising the human to her face. To her utter delight, the small infant didn't like this and let out a grunt of disapproval.

Rose looked down at Jet, both gems wearing the same shocked expression. "Peridot!" Rose shouted, startling the infant and making him let out a loud wail as Rose quickly exited the small room.

…...

A few hours later, Rose cooed at the baby that was wrapped in her arms, rocking it back and forth as she paced back and forth in front of its mother. Johnathon was now a bright shade of pink, something that Rose didn't understand, but didn't question for the moment. She didn't know how she had brought the boy back, and had tried to do the same with the mother, but with no luck. A crew was supposed to be coming to collect and, as they put it, "dispose of" the mother human, and she'd be damned if they disrespected her even after death.

While she paced, a burning hatred formed in her chest for the Diamonds. This was the last straw for her. She needed to change the way things were, bring the Authority to its knees and rebuild. They weren't going to take the Rebellion seriously, not take _her_ seriously. Well that would all have to change, and change soon.

Starting with the zoo.

 **(I swear I love my OCs guys. I just put them through a lot of shit cause ya know! Character development!)**


	33. Far From Finished

"Rose Quartz changed _everything_ that night." Jet said as she dunked her paintroller in the bucket, her gaze still far away. "I'm glad I wasn't there, because Buckstar said that the Quartz soldier threw a tantrum." She laughed lightly. "Could ya imagine? A big ol' scary Quartz like Rose throwing a tantrum?"

A faint smile ghosted Pearl's face. "Oh, I believe it." She muttered under her breath.

"Buckstar said Rose raised Hell about how the humans were treated in the zoo. The night the boy's mother figure died, in fact, Rose didn't even leave to go wherever she usually stayed while she wasn't with us. She just stayed at the zoo for like a week training other gems about the proper treatment of humans. Buckstar said she was hesitant about it, but she said what really helped was Johnathon." She paused to turn to Freshwater and nod. "That's why the zoo's so protective of him. Buckstar said that she didn't get why Rose cared about humans so much, and that she didn't understand the attachment even when Rose had to leave to take care of her own duties. She only took care of him out of respect (and probably fear) for Rose. After a while though, she at least tolerated his presence, and even grew to somewhat enjoy it. Well, that is, until Yellow Diamond came." She said, a shadow passing over her face.

Pearl and Freshwater exchanged a look. "What happened when Yellow Diamond came?" Freshwater asked.

Jet growled and her eyes flashed, a red hot anger burning in her eyes. "I'll tell you what happened. Yellow Cl-"

"How's the list coming you useless gems?"

Freshwater jumped and turned when she heard the door behind them open and Holly Blue enter. Freshwater and Pearl saluted the gem, and Freshwater bowed. "They are going well, Miss. Holly Blue." Freshwater said, side eying Jet, who looked away, composing herself. "Yes…..we were just-" She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"How am I supposed to understand a word you're saying when you're mumbling?" Jet took a shaky breath before raising her head to meet the Agate's eyes. "We were just finishing the walls, Miss. Holly Blue." She said in a monotone voice. Holly Blue Agate sneered. "And what about the other tasks I assigned?"

"We didn't get to them." Freshwater cut in, trying to take some of the attention off of Jet and immediately regretting that decision when the Agate turned her fierce gaze on her. "And why not?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing. "It's been 8 Earth hours now." Freshwater fumbled for a response. "There were a lot more areas than we expected, Miss. Holly. There was no possible way to get this room done, plus everything el-"

"You think the Diamonds care about something like workload?" Holly Blue cut in. "I'm sure this is _nothing_ compared to what Blue or Yellow Diamond would want."

"My Agate, with all due respect-" Pearl cut in, not even flinching when the Agate reared on her. "We would much rather complete one task to perfection. Than to scramble around and throw things together just for the sake of doing them. If we just ran through all of the tasks on your list, we would have to go back and redo them, thus wasting our time, and more importantly, your time." She said calmly.

Freshwater held her breath as Holly Blue considered Pearl's response. After a moment, she nodded. "Fair enough." She said, taking a step back. "However. That does not mean I'm letting you off the hook. This task has been completed….." she paused to look around the room with a small nod. "As efficiently as I suppose two Pearls and an Onyx gem can complete them. However, you will finish every single thing on that list before you may return to your rooms. Understood?"

Freshwater and Pearl nodded. "Yes Holly Blue."

Freshwater didn't let out a sigh of relief until Holly Blue had exited the room. "You should probably return Johnathon to your room." Freshwater said, picking up a broom and handing it to her. Jet raised an eyebrow. "Sure you won't rat on me?" she asked, hesitantly taking it from her. Freshwater shook her head with a shrug. "I'll tell her we split up to cover more ground. You have to clean while you're working, though. I can't lie to Holly Blue." She said, a shudder running down her spine. A goofy smile crossed Jet's face. "Alright Uni. You got yourself a deal." She said. "It may take me a bit to get back to you though. This place don't have many cameras, but the ones it does have are high quality." Pearl nodded. "Yes, we understand. Be careful." Jet nodded. "Yes ma'am!" she said with a small laugh before she rushed off to return Johnathon to her room.

…..

"So they work well together."

Holly Blue Agate nodded. "Yes, My Diamond. That extraneous list that you gave me to have them complete had the same results you expected. The gems only completed the one task of the room, and it was above par." Holly Blue explained, holding her salute as she gave her report. "They were unable to reach the higher places, but they did put all of their work into completing this task, and did so together. They appear to balance out each other so to speak."

Blue Diamond cocked her head to the side. "Elaborate." Yellow Diamond instructed, still not totally convinced.

"The cameras at the zoo. While I am unable to hear their conversations, at one point the Defect appeared to grow agitated, so the Pearl finished her section before going to help her. The tension vanished after a while, and they continued to work. I think the idea of breaks and sleeping rituals also played a hand in that, as they were forced to spend time alone together."

"And the Onyx gem. How did that impact them?" Blue Diamond asked.

"The Onyx gem appeared to have a positive impact." Holly Blue explained. "They appeared to talk a lot at one point. Too much for my liking, but the Pearls listened to whatever it was they had to say, but still remained working. Interestingly, though, she was respectful when I interrupted whatever conversation they were having." She paused to reflect for a moment. "In fact, the Pearl and the Onyx gem were quite submissive. "As expected, though, the Onyx gem did leave shortly after I did to goof off with the Amethyst and Jasper guard I assume."

Yellow Diamond sighed. "I don't know why we haven't done away with them yet." She muttered under her breath. Blue Diamond tsked and placed a comforting hand on Yellow Diamond's shoulder. "We'll deal with her when the time is right, Yellow. And who knows, it may not be too late for her. After all, after only a day she has made small changes. We can't expect them to change over-night." She turned back to Holly Blue. "Thank you for your report, Holly Blue Agate. However, as I'm sure you can imagine, we are far from finished."

….

"So you didn't know about _anything_ Jet was talking about?" Freshwater asked, shutting the door to the broom closet. After another 3 hours of hard work, they had finished, so they were exhausted, but Freshwater wanted to ask her questions now, as she wanted to go to bed that night and hopefully talk to Steven.

Pearl shook her head. "No. But that was during times where Rose and I weren't very close. I had been given to Rose at the time, but we had to spend much of our time apart, as she was a….very high ranking and busy gem." She said, choosing her words carefully. Freshwater cocked her head to the side. "What did she do?"

Pearl bit her lower lip, clenching her fist for a moment. "Many things." She said simply, her tone indicating a very clear indication that the conversation was over.

Freshwater frowned but took the hint as they walked back to Holly Blue Agate's room in silence. The gem wasn't in, but they quietly walked to the closet nonetheless. "I'm going to try to contact Steven." Freshwater whispered, sitting next to Pearl and leaning against the wall. After a few moments, she heard Pearl get up and move, but didn't think anything of it until she heard shuffling and felt someone lightly shake her shoulder and opened her eyes.

"That can't possibly be comfortable." She said. Freshwater shrugged. "Not sure how comfortable it can get in a closet." she said with a small laugh. Her laugh immediately fell off, however, when she looked past Pearl and saw a small section of the floor neatly stacked and piled with pillows. "Whoa, where the hell'd you get all those?" she asked, glancing up at Pearl.

Pearl frowned. "Firstly, language." Freshwater rolled her eyes as the gem continued. "Secondly, they were tucked under a bunch of Amethyst uniforms." Freshwater stood, her joints immediately cracking in protest as she walked over and observed the makeshift bed. "It's not exactly a queen sized four poster bed. But we can work with what we-"

Freshwater all but collapsed onto the pile of pillows, immediately feeling herself sinking into them. She mentally kicked herself for not taking advantage of Steven's bed when she'd had the chance. Pearl laughed lightly and put the blanket from the night before on top of the gem. "I'll leave you to sleep then." Freshwater frowned and pushed herself to a sitting position. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep as well? You're probably as exhausted as I am."

Pearl stifled a yawn. "No, you go ahead. You need to contact Steven." Freshwater shook her head and stood, picking up the blanket and taking Pearl's hand, leading her over to the pillow mound. "And you need to sleep. There's room for both of us anyway." She said, lightly pushing Pearl down and lay down next to her.

"Get some sleep." Freshwater said, tossing the blanket around them both. Pearl relented when a yawn finally escaped her. "I guess you're right. Today's workload was intense." Freshwater nodded, yawning as well and shifting so she and Pearl were a few inches apart, that way she still had the comfort of feeling the gem's protection, even if she was asleep.

Freshwater thought she heard a muffled "Goodnight.", but didn't even have time to return the saying before she immediately fell into a deep sleep.

 ** _(Yeah I needed some fluff after that last chapter. MAN that was rough. Hope you're enjoying reading as much as I'm enjoying writing!)_**


	34. Exactly

"Yeah, it's really weird working with the enemy."

"Tell me about it." Freshwater said with a snort, staring up at the setting sun. "Have you found out what the Cluster even is yet?" she asked curiously. Steven shook his head. "No, not yet. "So you have an ominous 'Cluster', or whatever and a Peridot who won't talk?" Freshwater frowned. "I assume they don't get along with the Amethyst very well." Steven shrugged. "Eh, everyone kinda tolerates each other. She's locked in my bathroom right now. Amethyst's messes are getting more and more out of control now that Pearl's not here, and Garnet's really stressed about our team being broken apart for so long. She says having my updates with you helps, though. It also helps that I've been talking to Lapis lately." He sighed as he leaned back in the sand and closed his eyes. Freshwater arched an eyebrow. She had forgotten about the water gem. "Really? What happened to her anyway? Last I heard, Jasper was on her way to Yellow Diamond, and took her with her."

Steven sighed. "Yeah, according to Lapis, the Ruby guards _tried_ to do that. But Jasper got obsessed, apparently. Lapis didn't know much, and so she couldn't say much. So Jasper decided to come in search of us. Lapis said she's taking her with her. As 'incintive'?" Steven cringed, and Freshwater felt a shiver run down her spine. "That's horrible. And…Yellow Diamond knows about this?" Steven laughed bitterly. "Knows about it? Lapis said that if she could get _all_ of us, Yellow Diamond would up her rank personally. Make her the Official Diamond Quartz. Or whatever that means. Have you seen the Diamonds? Nobody's going to attack them unless they've got a death wish." He muttered.

Freshwater nodded in agreement. "That's true. I guess it's more incentive than anything." She snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, Pearl says she loves you by the way." Steven's grin faltered slightly. "Aw, man, she's probably a wreck right now, isn't she? Tell her I love her too, though."

"Okay I will. Oh, and no, actually. She's handling "acting like a Pearl" really well. And the Amethyst guards aren't awful. The Zoo concept is also disturbing, but the Amethyst guards do care about the humans. At least, now they do." Steven frowned, turning his face to her. "What do you mean?" Freshwater hesitated, but decided to quickly run down what Jet had told her and Pearl. By the end of it, Steven was looking at her, teary-eyed but grinning.

"So my mom changed the whole aspect of the Human Zoo?"

Freshwater nodded. "Yes. And, that was her first time ever healing a human, and she struggled with that." She said, ruffling his hair. "So even my mom had to struggle to learn to use her powers." Steven said in awe. Freshwater gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Exactly."

There was a brief moment of silence, and when Steven spoke, his tone was different. Sadder. "Why don't you come back to Earth with Pearl? I know it's hard to take the consequences of our mistakes, but I'm sure we could work something out."

Freshwater sighed, pushing herself to a sitting position and resting her crossed arms on her knees, resting her head there. "I can't, Steven." She said, not meeting his gaze. "And honestly? I could never look Amethyst, Garnet, or even you in person in the eye after what I did. Especially not Pearl." Freshwater heaved a sigh and closed her eyes. "I also don't even know if I can trust myself again." She admitted. "Especially with this defect or whatever. I'm scared that no matter how much I change, a part of me will always be an Agate's gem. Forever her underliing, meant to do everything she, or anyone for that matter, tells me. It's hard to describe, but the concept of freedom almost scares me."

Steven listened intently as Freshwater spoke, his gaze sad. "That sounds horrible. If it helps though, I haven't told the gems. I don't have any intention of it either." He explained. "You messed up, but I've done that too. There's no point beating you up over something when you're already trying to recover."

Freshwater smiled gently, looking up when the world around them started to fade. "Thanks, Steven." Steven grinned. "No problem. And if you don't come back with Pearl, we can still stay in contact through our dreams. That way I can make sure you're safe." He said, beaming up at her. Freshwater's smile faltered for a millisecond, thanking the stars that Steven didn't understand the ruthlessness of the Authority. If they didn't shatter her when she got Pearl out of there, they'd do worse.

"Yes, that's true." She lied, ruffling his hair as the environment faded to black.

…

After meeting with the Diamonds, Holly Blue paced back and forth in front of the closet door, stroking her chin. She knew next to _nothing_ about fusion, yet the Diamonds were demanding her to have the Pearls do so. Previously, she had been certain the Defect couldn't fuse, but looking back it had tried to fuse with a human. Holly Blue shuddered at the thought. In retrospect, maybe the defect was capable of fusion after all?

Walking over to the closet door, Holly Blue arched an eyebrow at the sight before her. Both Pearls were out cold, with the more appealing one draping her arm over her partner as they both slept. They had some type of bond, that much was clear, so maybe fusion was possible? The Agate sure hoped so, lest she face Yellow Diamond's wrath. They were appeased with how they worked together, but working together and working as one were two different things. They wanted a fusion, and Holly Blue could only hope she could provide. She knew nothing about fusion. To her knowledge, the two gems just grabbed hands and that was that. Others were more aggressive and hurled themselves at one another. How fusion worked, she wasn't sure. Holly Blue Agate sighed as she shut the closet door and sat at her desk, pulling up the links to the various reports Yellow Diamond had sent her related to fusion and started to read.

…..

Freshwater opened her eyes, momentarily wondering if she would lapse into another dream like last time. Instead, she realized she was on her side staring at Holly Blue's closet wall. Yawning, Freshwater attempted to stretch, but froze when she felt something pressing against her back, rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm.

Now fully awake and aware, Freshwater instinctively jumped to combat mode, her senses now on full alert. Examining her combat zone, Freshwater looked down, a confused expression on her face when she saw an arm draped around her. Following it with her eyes, her confusion only grew when she saw the gem attached to it snoring lightly, their other arm being used as an, ironically, makeshift pillow.

"Pearl?"

The gem groaned when she heard her name. "Steven, I don't sleep often. Ask Garnet to make you breakfast." She muttered. Freshwater snickered. "You know as good as I do that Garnet would burn the house down." Pearl sighed. "Well, yes, but-" she stopped mid-sentence when she opened her eyes, a dark teal finding its way to her cheeks. "Oh. Morning, Freshwater. What did Steven say?" she asked, shifting so she was sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "They've got Peridot trapped in the bathroom." Freshwater informed her. "Not much new about the cluster, though. And apparently Jasper and Lapis are out."

Pearl's face paled. "Hopefully they'll be alright on their own."

Freshwater stretched and pushed herself to a sitting position. "I'm sure they will be." Silence.

"Hey, uh, Pearl?"

"Hmm?"  
"Do you move around in your sleep?" Freshwater asked. Pearl shrugged. "No. I don't think so, but I don't sleep enough to have a definite answer. Why do you-" a teal blush made its way to her cheeks. "Oh, that." She looked away awkwardly. "You don't…sleep the best." She explained simply. Freshwater frowned. "What do you mean? I've been sleeping fine. Or I don't know if you can call it sleeping since I've just been talking to Steven all night."

"No, that's not what I mean." Pearl said, lightly rubbing her arm. "I guess this happens between the time you finish meeting with Steven, and the time you wake up, because I'm pretty sure you're having nightmares, because you move around and whimper a lot. It happened last time too, but I didn't say anything. Steven used to be the same way when he was younger, and physical contact always helped him." Her blush deepened. "I'm sorry, I should have let you know first and asked if it was alright. I understand it may have been…a bit odd."

Freshwater thought about it for a moment. Honestly, Freshwater hadn't been bothered at all. It was a little weird, but not uncomfortable. And, in a way, it was nice to be physically close to someone during the night. And if it kept whatever nightmares she had at bay, she'd greatly appreciate it. She opened her mouth to explain it was fine, but was interrupted when the door opened.

Both gems scrambled to their feet, and saluted the gem in the doorway. "Good morning Holly Blue Agate." They said in unison. After a beat of silence, there was a laugh. "Don't disrespect me like that by calling me that Big Blue Clod." Freshwater squinted at the voice. "Jet? What are you doing in here?"

Jet bit her lower lip, avoiding the gem's gaze. When her eyes adjusted, Freshwater noticed the gem held a tray with two bowls of soup along with two cups of water on them. "Brought you guys something from the zoo. Holly says you need to eat today. Something like you guys didn't sleep as long, so you need human sustenance? I dunno." She said, putting the tray down and handing one to Freshwater and the other to Pearl.

Pearl hesitated. "I'm not hungry. I slept well." She insisted. Jet shook her head. "I hate to insist, but Holly Blue says you gotta eat it. Orders and all." Pearl exchanged a look with Freshwater, who immediately took the spoon and stirred it around. It didn't look like it could kill her. "What's this stuff made out of?" she asked, looking up. "Not much." Jet said. "We ain't exactly an all you can eat buffet." She said, standing. "You don't gotta eat it if you don't wanna, but I'm not gonna be here when you don't. Holly Blue Agate seems like she's in a good mood today, and I really don't wanna be there when it goes south. If ya ask me, it's the easiest, quickest order ever. And probably the only one where you'll gain from the effects of it. Do what you want though." She said with a shrug. And with that, she was gone.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you." Pearl warned as Freshwater dunked her spoon in her meal and started to eat. Freshwater snorted. "Believe me, Pearl, if Holly Blue wanted to kill us, she wouldn't do it so sneakily. She'd want you to know it was you who was taking you out, and she'd be a lot more violent about it." She promised.

Pearl looked unsettled, but Freshwater avoided her gaze, returning to her meal. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad. Freshwater glanced up at Pearl, who still hadn't touched hers. Rather than fighting with the gem, Freshwater just took her plate and finished it off too. Unlike Pearl, eating didn't bother her. She did it out of boredom while she was back on Earth, and eating reminded her of the place in a weird way. Pearl looked disgusted, and Freshwater let out a small sigh. "At least drink the water? You like tea right?" Pearl rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a small smile. "They're not the same thing." Freshwater snorted, putting the second plate to the side. "Tea has water in it. Close enough." Pearl raised an eyebrow. "No? It's not?"

"Well if you like tea, why're you so hellbent on not drinking water?" Freshwater asked, at this point just trying to get on the gem's nerves. "You can't drown in a cup, Pearl." Pearl made an annoyed sound in the back of her throat. "Firstly, gems can't drown. We don't need oxygen. Second-"

"Oh, so you're scared of drinking then. But that's a really specific fear that pertains just to water? Fasciinating." Freshwater snorted at the look of sheer frustration on Pearl's face. "You're as bad as Amethyst."

"I didn't hear a denial." Freshwater retorted.

Pearl rolled her eyes and immediately picked up the cup, downing it as Freshwater watched in shock. "Whoa, Pearl chill out. You didn't have to chug the thing. I was gonna offer a toast." She said, picking up her own cup and drinking it.

"Having a nice breakfast?" Freshwater jumped at Holly Blue's voice, the remaining water in the cup immediately going from the cup to her mouth and making her choke. Pearl immediately jumped up and saluted the gem as Freshwater tried to recover, coughing and sputtering up water. "Yes, Holly Blue Agate. My fellow Pearl was just getting choked up over how generous you were." Holly Blue looked from Freshwater to Pearl, suppressing a small smile. "Happy to hear it." She said as Freshwater finally picked herself up off the floor, still catching her breath.

Holly Blue nodded. "I assume your sleep cycle was restful?" Freshwater and Pearl exchanged a look at the blue gem's calm demeanor. "Yes ma'am?" Freshwater said hesitantly. Holly Blue Agate nodded. "Good." A sly smile crossed her face. "Because today, we'll be doing something a little….different." she said, turning on her heel and gesturing for the gems to follow.


	35. You're In Charge!

Freshwater and Pearl followed Holly Blue Agate, eventually coming to a stop in front of the zoo doors where Jet was already waiting for them. When she saw the blue gem, she looked down but saluted, avoiding the gem's gaze. "Morning Holly Blue." She muttered under her breath, clearly unhappy to see her.

"Onyx." Holly Blue said, nodding in acknowledgement before turning to the Pearls. "Today, you will be spending time in the Zoo. If Blue and Yellow Diamond deem you fit to serve them, you will more than likely spend your time away from them and performing tasks for them in their absence. After reading up on the human zoo's reports, the humans are not handling the shift from roaming the zoo freely to being in their own enclosure very well." Her eyes flickered over to Jet. "But, hopefully, the three of you can manage to change that own your own. Make them comfortable. You Pearls have spent time with many humans and probably know them better than the useless chunks of Earth here. So it shouldn't be too difficult. Don't bother looking to _me_ for help. I can't even understand what those things say when they scream and make those weird noises." She said, rolling her eyes.

Freshwater and Pearl exchanged a look. Freshwater hadn't spent time with many humans, but she had long sense realized that they were all different in some way or another.

"The time you are in this zoo will be determined by the progress you make." Holly Blue Agate continued. "Finish it quickly, and you will be let out quickly. You are also only permitted to sleep during the human sleeping periods, and are instructed to make sure the humans follow the orders of these." she pulled out two pair of earings, "They may not serve the any gem, or Diamond for that matter, but they must follow rules nonetheless." she said, handing the earings to Pearl and Freshwater before turning to Jet. "You, on the other hand, will be in charge of taking note of any and everything that needs to be fixed in the zoo. Assuming the humans spent less time outside of the zoo instead of in it, I'm assuming that there's much to fix. Is that understood?"

The gems nodded. "Yes, Holly Blue Agate."

The Agate nodded. "Don't bother coming out of that room unless your very life depends on it." She said, her eyes flashing in a warning glare. Freshwater nodded and bowed her head. "Yes, Holly Blue." She said in a monotone voice.

The Agate nodded and slammed her hand on the zoo door. "Good luck." She said with a small smile. "You're going to need it."

…..

As soon as the Zoo door slammed behind them, Freshwater felt like she was in another world. When Holly Blue had said "Human Zoo", she wasn't sure what she expected, but it surely wasn't the beautiful, yet distorted, utopian landscape that lay in front of her.

Pushing through the dying, once beautiful, trees, the trio was met with a waterfall that fell into a pool. Freshwater's mind momentarily flickered to Steven and Amethyst. Had it not showed the cleaning grounds for humans for Diamond's knew how long, she was sure that humans and gems alike would have enjoyed the place.

"Whoa." Freshwater murmured when she raised her head to the sky. It appeared to be an intended bright blue sky, but instead was dim and flickered at random, every now and then revealing the space outside far above.

" 'Whoa' is right." Jet said with a snort, walking to the edge of the water murky water and peering into it. "This place is disgusting." Pearl noted, her voice showing more shock than true disgust. Jet nodded, wading until she was up to her waist. "Yeah, this place is going to take more fixing than I can handle. I may have to get in touch with a Bismuth to help me ou-" the gem's eyes widened and she stumbled back when something burst from below the water's surface with a loud, fierce, battle cry, immediately knocking her to the ground and pinning her.

The Pearls stood in shock for a moment before leaping into action and quickly making their way over to help Jet, who was writhing and trying to throw the human off of her, who was making repeated attempts to stab at the gem on her chest with a small, sharpened stick.

Pearl was the first one to reach Jet, and just when she looked like she was about to stop, she came to a screeching halt at the realization that this was a human. A tiny one at that. Maybe 13 or 14 years old. So at the last second, she changed her tactic, instead deciding to forcefully pick the child up while Freshwater went to Jet's aid.

As soon as the gem was on her feet, the human made another attempt to attack, wriggling free of Pearl's grasp and hitting the ground. Just as they stood, however, they froze and stared past Freshwater and Jet's shoulder and lowered their head in defeat. Confused, the gems turned and followed their gaze.

"I leave you and your sister alone for a moment to go scavenge for new food, and come back to find this?" a human with blonde hair and blue eyes said, her eyes narrowing. Freshwater tensed. She wasn't sure what had gotten into these humans, but she'd be damned if she got her gem handed to her by them. "D13, is _this_ any way to treat new friends?" a human with big brown hair and tanned skin said, holding a handful of fruits as they stood next to their partner. "Y6 and I did not teach you this way." He said.

The human didn't say anything. Just stared at them blankly. The woman sighed. "Do not feel discouraged by the words of J10. We are trying to help you." She turned to the gems with a small smile. "Hello. I apologize for D13. He is not adjusting to his new life very well."

"Yeah, I figured." Jet muttered, pausing to check her gemstone.

"It's not his fault!" a small voice piped up. Looking over to the same area where the small boy had popped out of the water, a shorter human that looked 10 or 11 came to where D13 stood. "D13 and I were playing a game where we stay underwater and see who can hold their breath the longest. I finally beat him this time, but that's only because she-" she nodded at Jet, "scared me."

D13 nodded in agreement as the human girl came to his side, putting a comforting arm on his shoulder. "Ever since we came here, he's been more on edge and protective than usual." D13 nodded apologetically.

The humans exchanged a look before the woman let out a sigh. "He's my big brother. Even if by a couple minutes." The girl said with a giggle, playfully shoving him. "Mom used to always tell him to protect me, and I guess he goes too far sometimes." J10 frowned. "But…why would you need to be protected here? The human zoo is nothing but a sanctuary for us. It's a little beat up now, but when it is fixed, we will be happy again, and you won't have to mope about whatever you left on Earth. Because it's better here!" he said excitedly, rushing over and quickly picking up the girl, putting her on his shoulders. "Life is excellent here, H11." He promised before looking at the momentarily forgotten gem trio.

"They just have to fix this place up a little first. Then we can spend the rest of our lives here and be happy!" J10 gushed, a bright smile on her face as she joined the gems in the water. Jet nodded. "Yes….we will do our best." She said awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck and looking around. "But, where are the other humans?" she asked hesitantly.

J10 and Y6 exchanged a look. "It's just been us since the last time we were let out. We were the only ones brought back." J10 explained. "One of the big guards said we were brought back because we were 'uncontaminated by the world of the outside zoo' and that we would 'handle the shift easily'. Basically we were brought here to be happy, and the other humans were taken somewhere else to be happy." Y6 nodded excitedly. "Yes, we are all allowed to live happy lives. That's what the Amethyst guard told us before we were brought back here!"

"And what about him?" Jet asked curiously, pointing at D13. Y6 shrugged. "He is but a human child. I suppose they thought he would grow out of it." D13 scoffed and rolled his eyes, getting out of the water and retreating to the shrubbery of the Zoo. J10 sighed as he pushed past them. "Even if it takes a while."

…

"Yeah, Holly Blue there's no _way_ I can make all of these changes on my own." Jet said, shoving her hands into her pockets as she addressed the gem on the other side of the communicator. "In the few hours that I've been here, I've found so much wrong with this place, and that was just at a glance. There's probably tons of things wrong that I haven't even scratched the surface of."

Holly Blue scowled. "Maybe if they had been kept _in the zoo_ this whole time as per protocol, none of this would have happened, now would it have?" The Agate was far past being angry about this, and just wanted to solve the issue, but still remind the gem why they kept these rules. "The workload wouldn't be so intense if we – _you_ wouldn't have fallen behind." She sighed. "I don't know why they let Buckstar or whomever run this place." She muttered.

Jet's eyes flashed but she kept her mouth shut as Holly Blue pulled up Jet's report with a sigh. "I'll send a request for a gem to get the parts you need. You, however, will need to complete this yourself." Jet shrugged with a small smile. "Alright. But keep in mind, that this would go far better with a Bismuth on hand. I'm an Onyx gem. Only made for small maintenance jobs like fixing parts. This place needs entirely new structures. The Door for instance. The code's broken. We never even cleared your hand for access to the zoo. Thing just opens for everyone nowadays. And the waterfall. I don't know who constructed that, or how to fix it. That's a job for a Bismuth." She yawned and looked up at the darkening sky. "But if you'd rather waste your time and mine by forcing me to read thousands of years of reports on things that a Bismuth is born with the knowledge of." She shrugged. "go ahead. You _are_ in charge." She said, fixating Holly Blue with a sickeningly sweet smile and topping it off with a salute.

Holly Blue looked up to glare at the gem. "You have a lot of bark now that you're in that zoo." She noted. Jet's eyes widened in feign surprise. "Why, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just trying to save us _both_ some trouble. But, like I said," her smile grew.

"You're in charge."


	36. Head Count

_Note: I changed the ages around because I cannot for the life of me write children. From now on, Johnathon is 10, H11 is 10, and D13 is 13_

Freshwater stretched and opened her eyes with a yawn. Pushing herself up from the small canopy of leaves, it took her a moment to realize that she was still in the zoo. Surprisingly, she hadn't connected with Steven during the night. Trying not to think about it, she made her way around the zoo to make a head count.

H11 was currently holding onto a tree branch a few feet above the ground, whistling a happy tune as she swung back and forth. When she saw Freshwater, she gave her a bright grin. "Oh, you're still here? D13 said you'd probably have left by now." She said, letting go of the tree branch and landing solidly on her feet.

Freshwater arched an eyebrow. "He can talk?" H11 shrugged. "When he wants to." She said simply. Freshwater pursed her lips but didn't ask. "Where is he anyway?" she asked, looking at the tree H11 had been in earlier. The girl shrugged. "J10 and Y6 usually take him for a swim this early in the morning. It helps him calm down and loosen up."

"You don't go with them?" H11 shrugged. "I like to explore the area this early. It's quiet, and D13 isn't awake to tell me to stop playing in the trees before I get hurt." She explained, her eyes widening. "You should try it!" she said, excitedly grabbing Freshwater's arm and tugging it. Freshwater frowned, not moving. "I don't know….I need to get a head count. Make sure everyone's alright." H11 grinned deviously, not relenting as she kept pulling. "So why not get an aerial view? Here, you can climb the best tree here." She rambled as Freshwater relented, allowing H11 to drag her along. "It's got the perfect footholds, and great places to put your hands. It was the first tree I ever climbed, actually. We didn't have many like it when I was on Earth." She said, coming to the base of the tree.

Freshwater hesitated, but decided to humor her. "Alright, alright." She said, approaching the tree and allowing the smaller human to guide her up. "Yeah, see? It's easy!" the human said excitedly as Freshwater hoisted herself up and started to climb, copying wherever H11 put her hands and feet to determine the most sturdy spots. H11 giggled. "You're doing better than D13." She remarked, pulling herself up to a branch below the highest one and sitting on it, grinning down at Freshwater and pointing to the spot above it. "That one's got the best view." She said. "I can always spot when D13, J10, and Y6 are coming so I know to get down." She said as Freshwater gave a final grunt, coming to a rest on the top branch, gazing at the treeline. There wasn't much to see, but she had to admit it was interesting to be so high off the ground.

Scanning the area, Freshwater felt herself relax slightly. H11 giggled. "See? Climbing trees is awesome!" she said, lightly kicking her feet. "I don't remember how I even learned to climb them. I know someone taught me of course, but it couldn't have been D13. He's too serious and scared of heights." She said with a frown. Freshwater shrugged. "It was probably one of your human caregivers. I know a boy on earth who has several who he learns from." H11 stared at her blankly. "Human caregivers?" she said, confused.

Freshwater chuckled. She'd forgotten that she was talking to a human that looked no more than 10. She'd have to dumb down her language. "Parents." she said simply. H11 lowered her gaze, deep in thought. "Maybe?" she said with a frown. Freshwater down at her, confused. "What do you mean maybe?"

H11 shrugged. "I don't remember much before the zoo." She said simply. "I mean, I remember some things, but a lot of it is hazy." She thought for a moment. "D13 remembers a lot of stuff though for some reason." She said with a shrug. "But he is 3 years older than me, so maybe that has something to do with it?" she sighs. "He tells me not to worry about it, but I'm curious. I'll be 11 in a few months, but he still treats me like a little kid."

Freshwater frowned. "Maybe he's trying to protect you. To him, he has to keep you safe."

H11 pouted. "But if he's always trying to keep me out of trouble, then who's the one keeping _him_ out of trouble?"

Freshwater opened her mouth but shut it again. The human had a point. Before she had a chance to digest the question, however, H11 had already jumped down from the tree, nimbly landing on her feet. "D13's on his way back by now." She said at Freshwater's confused face. "That's all well and good, but how do _I_ get down?" H11 looked at her like the answer was obvious. "Jump?" she said. Freshwater started to argue, but the human had already run off to their brother.

Freshwater sighed. Of course. She thought to herself, lowering her gaze to the ground below. Deciding that she liked her gem intact, Freshwater gripped the tree and started to lower herself down carefully. Just as she was gaining confidence in her ability, however, she swear she felt the floor below her start to rumble. Freezing, Freshwater hesitated.

Nothing.

Odd. Freshwater thought, continuing the 10 foot descent. Just as it slipped her mind, it happened again and Freshwater jumped, losing her footing, letting out a cry of surprise as her hand grasped onto something to grab onto but found nothing as she started to fall, jostling her visor off her face.

Bracing her body for impact, Freshwater let out a surprised "oof" when she landed solidly in someone's arms.

"I can't leave you alone for a second." Pearl said, rolling her eyes. Freshwater arched an eyebrow. "How did you do that? Weren't you asleep at our makeshift campsite?" Pearl shrugged. "I was, but you were sleeping longer than I expected, so I went to do a head count. Ran into the small boy and the two older humans." She said, putting Freshwater down and finding her visor before handing it to her. "Thanks." Freshwater said, taking them and raising them to her face to inspect the damage.

As she expected, they were cracked. Sighing, Freshwater just snapped them, making them disappear in a flash of light. "Why do you even wear those?" Pearl asked curiously. "Garnet's are prescription, so are yours too?" Freshwater shrugged. "No. I just don't like having my gem exposed." She explained simply, raising her hand to her face and summoning another visor to replace the previous one.

Pearl frowned. "Why not? I don't think there's much of anything to be self-conscious about. Or has Homeworld got a prejudice against gems with their gems on their eyes now?" she said, rolling her eyes and laughing at the ridiculous concept as the gems wandered in the direction of where they had heard the loud rumbling. Freshwater simply shrugged. "No. I just feel like it's an easy target." She said simply, remembering the numerous times she'd have to remove her visor when she'd gotten in hot water with Holly Blue.

Pearl responded, but Freshwater didn't hear her, her ears immediately registering the light sound of rustling. Freezing, Freshwater turned her attention to the general direction, seeing the bush in front of her shake lightly. "D13, if you stab me with that so help me-" Freshwater muttered, glaring at the bush. Pearl put a hand on Freshwater's shoulder before taking a few steps forward. Freshwater prepared herself in case the little demon tried anything as Pearl got closer to the shrubbery.

Pushing it back, her eyes widened when she immediately recognized the human. It was, in fact, not D13, but Johnathon. The boy lay curled up in the shrubbery and was fast asleep, curled up into a ball as he slept fitfully.

"Oh Jet's going to _love_ this." Freshwater muttered, putting her hand down.


	37. So Much for Family

Freshwater grumbled to herself as she walked through the forest area in search of Jet. The Pearl was growing impatient with how long this was taking, and was beginning to see anything that wasn't pushing her closer to getting Pearl home as unimportant. Babysitting the humans was Holly Blue's job if it were between the Pearls and Holly Blue Agate. She was beginning to suspect that the Agate had other plans.

"And _she's_ grumbling about babysitting duty."

Freshwater's ears perked up when she heard the familiar voice. "Finally." Freshwater muttered to herself, going in the direction where the voice had come from. The gem sounded like she was talking to someone. D13, maybe? No, he was probably with the other humans by now. Then who-

"Yeah, the place is in shambles. Holly Blue wants us to fix it up, but it'll take more lightyears than I've got." Freshwater blinked in confusion when she rounded a tree, Jet's voice now clear, her form dark against the bright light of the communicator. Freshwater started to assume the gem was talking to Holy Blue, but the playful tone Jet used wasn't like the one the gem had used with Holly Blue. Confused, Freshwater ducked behind the tree and held her breath, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation between the two gems.

The voice on the communicator sighed. "I helped build that place eons ago. It was bound to fall apart eventually." Jet nodded. "Exactly! It just took some time." The gem on the other end snorted. "Yeah, time. _And_ a bunch of Amethyst guards messing up the place." Jet shrugged. "I dunno what the Diamonds expected. They put a bunch of rowdy gems out in the middle of space without a scary leader." She paused, glancing behind her. "Speaking of which, between you and me, I need a favor." She said, lowering her voice. "You mean _besides_ fixing up the zoo?" The gem said, sighing. Jet nodded. "Yeah. Remember that human?" she said, choosing her words carefully. "The one Buck's fond of?"

"You mean the one you're supposed to look after while she's suffering whatever fate the Diamonds handed her after the trial?" Jet flinched but nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I remember him. What about him?" Jet pursed her lips. "Well…he's in trouble. Holly Blue hasn't seen him yet, but I _know_ she won't be fond of his looks. She treats her Pearl differently because she looks different. When, honestly, she's terrifyingly loyal."

"And what exactly do you want _me_ to do about it?" the gem asked, arching her eyebrow. "Kid's your responsibility. Not mine. In case you haven't forgotten, I'm not exactly on the best footing with Blue and Yellow at the moment thanks to the grand stupidity of youth. Diamonds name, I wreaked havoc on Homeworld before I was shipped here." She muttered the last part under her breath, but her eyes lit up. "Loved me some mischief. Still kinda do." Her gaze hardened. "I may be a better gem now, but once an enemy of the Diamonds, always an enemy of the Diamonds."

Jet's face fell. "So…you won't even _consider_ helping me-"

"Sneak Johnathon out of the zoo?" the gem snorted. "Oh _absolutely_ not. I dunno what idea that Crystal Gem Pearl has snuck into your thick skull, but you ain't draggin' _me_ into no rebellion. Look. Kiddo." She said, leaning into the communicator, her gaze and tone softening. "I know you just trying to do what Buck wants you to. But Buck's not your mentor anymore." She said. "Buck's go-"

"She's not gone." Jet insisted, shaking her head, her eyes lighting up. "The Diamonds can't afford to shatter gems left and right. They say that all the ti-"

"They say that now." The gem interrupted. "They've been saying that since you've been growing up, kid. For me and Buck? We're a lot older than you are. More experienced. And the more experienced a gem is, the less crap the Diamonds tolerate. Cuz we know better. _Buckstar_ knows better. She decided to go against direct policy, lead her crew to think that way. And what do we have now?" she sneered. "A bunch of Amethyst guards who are more interested in playing with vermin than they are in getting their jobs done." She spat.

Jet was stunned for a moment. "Humans…aren't vermin, B9." She said, sounding like she'd just been slapped across the face. "It's Bismuth to you, Onyx." She sighed, putting her head in her hands. "Diamonds name, I should've never given into Buck's – Buck _star's_ dumb nicknames. Calling you kid as if you aren't a grown gem." She straightened up and regarded Jet with an icy glare. "From now on, we are _not_ friends. We shouldn't have been friends in the first place. You are an Onyx gem with a job, and I am a Bismuth with the same job. We're coworkers. Acquaintances at best. Understood?"

Silence filled the air as Jet stared up at the gem on the communicator. This was _nothing_ like the Bismuth she had grown to love and care for. The old Bismuth was nice, caring, kind, compassionate. She cred about gems, and had even started to care about humans too. And now because Buckstar was….wherever she was - she refused to acknowledge the possibility of shattering unless she had physical proof – she'd given up and gone back to her own ways. As if nothing had ever happened.

"Onyx." Jet looked up at Bismuth's hard voice. "I asked you a question." Jet took a deep breath, not meeting the gem's eyes. "Yes, Bismuth. I understand." She said, nodding but not meeting the gem's eyes. The Bismuth nodded. "Good. I'll see you in the morning." Jet didn't respond or even move until the communicator shut off and fell at her feet with a dull thud.

For a moment she stood there and stared at the thing, remembering happier times when she was only 5 or 6 hundred years old, now ready to be taught to take care of the zoo. Bismuth had always helped Jet teach her what she knew, even though Jet was a hard gem to teach. Nonetheless, though, they didn't give up on her as a student or as a server of the Diamonds, always finding ways to keep her entertained. Times where she'd take turns sitting on top of Buckstar's shoulders, or using damaged parts to play Keep Away with Bismuth and Buck. Sometimes other gems would join in too. They had always promised that no matter what happened, through thick and thin, they'd always be together.

Buckstar had promised that they had always been a family.

So much for that.

Picking up the communicator with shaking hands, Jet cried out in frustration, bringing her hand back and hurling it at a tree before sinking to her knees.

When she didn't hear the shattering of the communicator, Jet raised her head slowly, blinking tears out of her eyes. Through her tears, she could make out a hand a few inches from her face. Following it with her eyes, she was surprised when she saw Freshwater standing above her, the communicator held in her other hand, undamaged.

Despite her constant state, Jet narrowed her eyes and sneered. "Here to take me to Holly Blue for attempted treason?" Freshwater didn't even flinch at the gem's anger. In fact, she didn't say a word. She just stood there with her hand outstretched. Jet sighed, but took the gem's hand, allowing her to hoist her up. "Lead the way, then." She said, raising her arm to wipe her face. "Let me at least say bye to Johnathon first." She said bitterly, raising her arm to wipe her face. When she had collected herself, she looked at Freshwater expectantly.

With an exasperated sigh, Jet threw her arms up and started to walk towards the zoo door. Before she could, however, Freshwater grabbed her hand. Jet stopped and glanced over her shoulder, surprised when Freshwater put the communicator in her hands and closed her fingers around it. "Johnathon's not out there." She said simply, dropping Jet's hand and motioning for her to follow.

Jet hesitated. "What are you planning, Uni?" she said, cautiously following behind the gem. "Pearl's with Johnathon. Pearl decoded a letter that the Amethyst guards in Johnathon's pocket. Apparently Holly's doing room checks now, and they've got assigned posts that they're at 24/7. They can't hide him anymore, so he has to stay here. That's why I came to find you." Freshwater explained, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "I didn't mean to intrude on your….family problems." A dark shadow crept over Jet's face.

"What family?"


	38. Get To Work

"He looks to be doing a lot better now." Freshwater noted, sitting down next to Pearl and watching as the humans played in the dirty lake. "I just hope whatever's in that water isn't toxic." Pearl said, biting her lower lip. "It's fine. Just really gross. A gem's coming tomorrow morning to help me fix this place up a bit." Jet said, sitting next to them and watching as H11 chased Johnathon around with a moss covered stick. "I just can't believe he's adjusted this easily." She said. 

"The human girl's been helping him out with that." Pearl explained, watching with a small smile as she pounced on him and the pair disappeared underwater. Her smile faltered when she glanced on the opposite side of the lake where D13 was sitting. "What's wrong with him?" Freshwater asked, cocking her eyebrow. Pearl shrugged. "I tried to talk to him, but he just gave me that blank stare like usual. The older humans tried too, but no luck."

"Jet!" Jet looked up when she heard her name being called, a smile spreading across her face as Johnathon came running out of the water and hugged her tightly. "Hey bud." Jet said, ruffling his hair and grimacing when she saw the chunks of mud clinging to his hair. "Why didn't you tell me there were other humans in here? H11 is really cool, and so are Y6 and J10." Jet pursed her lips. "Well, we didn't think you'd be accepted here." She admitted. Johnathon frowned. "Why not? Is something weird about me?" he asked, pulling back and looking up at her. "No!" Jet said a little too quickly. "You're perfect just the way you are, Johnathon. Nothing's wrong or weird about you. You just look a little different than most humans." She said, putting him in a headlock and giving him a noogie. "That doesn't make you weird. It makes you original." She gave Freshwater a wink and a small smile.

"Unique, is a better word." Freshwater said, returning the smile.

"Come on, D13, just get in the fountain already. The earrings will stop talking and scolding you." H11 said, shaking her hair and joining her brother on the bank. D13 scowled. H11 groaned. "What is your _deal_ today, big bro? Wake up on the wrong part of the zoo? Ever since the new kid showed up, you've been acting really weird. Distant. That's nothing like you." No response. H11 sighed. "Fine! Be that way." She snapped, turning away and stomping back into the water.

D13 sighed and just tossed the earrings into the sand before walking to a shady spot under a tree and leaning against it, closing his eyes.

Just as he was drifting off, however, he felt something nudge his foot. Cocking an eye open, he saw Jet standing above him, arms crossed and earrings in hand. "This seat taken?" she asked, motioning to the ground next to him.

When she didn't get a response, she shrugged. "Taking that as a yes then." She said, plopping down next to him. D13 sighed but decided to ignore her, instead watching his sister and Johnathon play in the fountain.

"You're jealous."

D13 flinched and glanced up at Jet, his face going beet red as he shook his head.

Jet chuckled. "Oh, look an actual response. Not talking, but I'll take what I can get." She said, leaning against the tree. "Anyway, it looks like jealousy to me." She paused. "Well, maybe not jealousy. Because that has kinda a negative connotation to it. Maybe lonely's a better word?" she asked, glancing down at D13 for clarification, who frowned but looked down, ashamed. "Hey, kid." Jet said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. Wanna know a secret?" she said with a small smile at his piqued interest.

"I used to be jealous of him too. When I was made, it was clear that he was the favorite." She said, watching H11 and Johnathon splash each other in the water. "He got all of their attention because gems assumed he was weak. He was also a lot more social, even for how young he was. I used to get so upset when they'd have to drop what they were doing to take care of him, and I resented even being around him. But I realized that in all the time I was investing in being jealous of the relationship my partners had with him," she said, returning her gaze to D13. "I could've been missing out on the opportunity to make a new friend. Build a new friendship. You don't have to like everyone you meet. But you should at least get to know them first before you decide you don't like them."

D13 blinked and followed Jet's gaze. "Anyway, I can tell how much you care about your sister. I can tell you that he has been raised with tender love and care. He would never hurt a fly. And if he did, he'd be answering to me." She said, squeezing his shoulder. D13 met Jet's gaze again before staring at her for a long moment. "So, what's it gonna be dude?" she asked, standing and offering him the earrings, which were still demanding him to take a bath. "Wanna shut these things up for me?"

…

"Heads up, Pearl!" Y6 said, hurling the fifth fruit from the small harvest at Pearl and watching, starry eyed as she managed to catch it. "How are you doing that?" Freshwater asked, watching as Pearl juggled three large fruits straight from the fire from hand to hand, tossing each a few feet into the air before catching it.

Pearl shrugged. "The gem I served was a juggler. She taught me some of her tricks." She boasted, tossing one to D13, who caught it and immediately handed it off to Johnathon. "Thanks, D13." Johnathon said, grunting as he split it and gave half to H11. "Sorry there isn't much." Y6 said sheepishly. Jet shrugged, catching another flying fruit and handing it to J10, who halved theirs with D13. "No biggie. I've got a gem coming tomorrow, and I plan on getting the food supply machines up and ready, so you guys can eat all you want."

"Ooh, a new friend! How exciting!" Y6 exclaimed, catching the final fruit and thanking Pearl. Jet hesitated. "Well, I don't know about a new friend." She said, taking a seat on a rotting log. "She's been a bit…..distant. Better to stay out of her way and let us work. Thanks Pearl." She said, nodding at the gem as she caught the purple fruit and bit into it, grimacing. "Man, we've got our work cut out for us." She muttered.

"I'm sure you can handle it." Pearl said, sitting next to Freshwater in the grass and handing her the final piece. "What is this, anyway?" Freshwater wondered aloud, holding the strange fruit up to her face. It looked like an apple, but rather than a bright red it was a dark purple with a green stem.

Pearl shrugged. "An apple is the closest I can guess. But apples are usually red or green. Not purple."

"Ooh, yesterday they were bright red and green!" J10 said excitedly. "Yes! And the day before, they were orange!" H11 agreed excitedly, turning to Johnathon. "But _I_ like when they turn blue, or yellow!" D13 nodded in agreement. "Oh, yes, yellow and blue are the best days!" J10 exclaimed.

Freshwater looked up curiously. "Really? Why's that?" she asked, taking a bite out of the "apple" and chewing. It was sweet. Surprisingly so. "Yeah, you all just have a group favorite color, or does something happen?" Jet asked curiously.

Y6 shook his head, beaming as J10 laughed. "Oh, no! Rumor has it that when the fruit turns blue or yellow, that's when the big blue lady comes for a visit!" she said excitedly. Freshwater froze, immediately choking on the food in her mouth and spitting it out. D13 cringed, but H11 didn't seem to notice. "Oh, yes! J10, tell the story again!" J10 nodded, stroking his chin. "Yes, the blue lady comes when the fruit turns blue. I was a young boy when it happened last, only 6 or 7. She is quite nice! She was quite fond of us humans, and would always enter the zoo to visit us. She seemed quite sad, and the whole time she was here." The human looked down sadly before immediately perking up again. "But the longer she was in here, the happier she was! I was lucky enough to have her witness my choosening with Y6!" they exclaimed, throwing their arm around their companion, who laughed.

"Yes, yes! Blue is very kind, and we always look forward to her visit. We have never seen Yellow, though. It's rumored that she is fierce, but also kind. I look forward to the day I get to meet her!"

Freshwater, Pearl, and Jet exchanged a look. Thankfully, the earrings hanging from the humans immediately spoke up as the dim lights of the zoo blinked out. "Are you all tired? It has been a long day. Time to rest!" Y6 immediately nodded and stretched. "Yes. We are tired." She said, turning to H11 and D13. "Come, let us go to bed." They said, picking H11 up and putting her on their shoulders. H11 stiffled a yawn. "Aw, come on, just a little longer?" she pleaded.

Jet shook her head. "No. Be good, and go to bed. Johnathon, you go with your new friends. I've got some preparations to make for tomorrow." She said. When she didn't hear his footsteps, however, she turned, confused. He was still standing there, staring off to where H11 and the others had gone. Jet's gaze softened. "Hey, bud. I'll be there to keep you company in a bit. I promise. For now, just go with the others, okay?" she said, ruffling his hair and handing him what was left of her meal. Johnathon hesitated again but nodded before hugging her and rushing off.

Jet watched him go, immediately becoming lost in her thoughts. She'd never admit it, but she was worried about how she was doing with Johnathon. Jet sighed. She wasn't that old or experienced, so she felt like she was incapable of essentially raising him.

She really wished Buckstar was here.

…

Freshwater crossed her arms and placed them on her knees as she stared into the fire, watching as the embers leapt to and fro. "Can't sleep?" Pearl asked, joining her on the rotting log. Freshwater shook her head. "Not for long, no. And this is the second night I haven't heard from Steven. I hope he's okay." She said, resting her head on her arms.

Pearl pursed her lips, turning to the fire as well. "I'm sure he's alright." She said, sounding like she was trying to convince both Freshwater and herself. "Garnet and Amethyst are looking out for him."

Freshwater snorted. "That is, if Peridot hasn't given up on helping them with the Cluster and high tailed it back to the Diamonds." She pointed out. Pearl shook her head. "That would be an awful idea on her end. Even if she turned on them, someone would probably find out or notice her absence immediately. She wouldn't even have time to get to her escape pod before Garnet or Amethyst poofed her again."

Freshwater frowned. "You think they can take her? Plus, Jasper and Lapis are still out there." Pearl frowned. "Peridot, more than likely. As for Jasper….." her frown deepened. "I…..I don't know." She admitted. Freshwater immediately stood, sensing Pearl's rising anxiety. "I'm going to go try to contact Steven again." She said, going back to their makeshift campsite and lying down.

Pearl nodded. "Good luck."

…..

"Man, this place is a dump." B9 said, looking over Holly Blue Agate's shoulder. The Agate nodded. "It truly is." She agreed, clicking through the various pictures Jet had sent her from inside the zoo. "How long do you think it should take to repair?" she asked. "My Diamond will no doubt want to see the changes."

B9 frowned, stroking her chin. "Oh, not long." She said, her eyes skimming the pictures. "Fixing the zoo portion? Two or three days. The rest of the week I can spend fixing up the rest of the building." Holly Blue stiffened. "So, a week total?" she said, frowning.

B9's eyes flashed, but she remained calm, speaking in a steady voice. "Why? Is that a problem? Keep in mind that I'm also working with the Onyx here, so _that's_ going to slow me down. I could have this whole gem done in three or four days total. But because your Oh So Merciful Diamond wants to keep handing out chances like we're at some sort of Human Birthday Party, _I've_ got to waste everyone's time. But I know that you're probably glad that I have to do that." She said, crossing her arms. "Because that gives you more time to get your little mission completed. Honestly I pity you. Getting that-" she pointed with disgust at one of the screens where the Defective Pearl was. They were curled up in a ball near the fire, their head gently resting on the better made Pearl's leg. "To fuse will be damn near impossible."

Holly Blue Agate scowled. "Don't talk down to me like you're higher than me. You're on my level, at most." She said. B9 barked out a laugh. "Oh, in terms of standing with the Diamonds? Maybe. But in terms of accomplishments to failure ratio? I am far above you." The Bismuth said, shrugging. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She said, picking up all of her notes and glancing them over with a sigh. " _Some_ of us actually have work to get to."

…

"Still no luck?" Pearl asked, looking down at Freshwater curiously. Freshwater yawned and stretched. "Unfortunately." She muttered, sitting up. "Nightmares?" Freshwater shrugged. "None that I remember. But I'm not complaining." She said, groaning and standing, her joints groaning in protest. "Man I need to find better sleeping arrangements." She muttered. "Oh, your body is probably under a lot of stress lately." Pearl noted. Freshwater shrugged. "Eh, Holly Blue's put it through worse." She muttered.

Pearl arched an eyebrow. "And what do you mean by that?"

Freshwater blushed and immediately batted the question away. "Work." She said, shrugging. Pearl didn't look convinced, but when she opened her mouth to argue, the two were interrupted by the sound of a loud whistle. "What in Diamonds name was that?" Pearl asked, starting in the direction of the sound.

"Alright, vermin. Where's she at?" A voice was saying as Freshwater and Pearl pushed back the foliage to. Pearl immediately froze in shock, and Freshwater almost walked into her. "What's going on-" Freshwater's inquiry was cut off when she stepped around Pearl and saw a gem with bright green skin and blonde hair. They were aiming their weapon, a deathly sharp longsword, at D13, who looked mortified. H11, Johnathon, Y6, and J10 near him, shocked. When the gem heard Pearl and Freshwater approaching, they scoffed. "Finally." They muttered, dropping the child. "You." They said, pointing their sword at Pearl. "Where's the Onyx? I've got to get this place fixed up, and I'm not going to let some vermin and a defective Pearl get in the way of that."

Pearl's eyes flashed. "How da-"

"We don't know." Freshwater cut in, stepping in front of Pearl and staring blank faced at the newcomer. "We've only just awoken. She is probably already at work, as she was made aware of your presence." She said. The gem sneered. "I wasn't talking to _you_ defect." Freshwater flinched at the word. She hadn't been called that in a while, and it wasn't a welcomed feeling. "What, the other one can't talk for themselves?"

"Bismuth. Cool it." The gem's head snapped to the left where she saw Jet, carrying a box of tools. "I'm right here. Like the Pearl said, I was getting ready to start the day." She said. "Hurting the humans wasn't going to speed me up." She said coolly, glancing at D13. Thankfully, he was unharmed. "You okay there, D13?" she asked. The boy nodded. "Good. You guys get breakfast when the earrings say, and me and B9 will get to wor-"

"Bismuth." The bismuth corrected coolly, lowering their weapon.

"Yes. Bismuth and I will get to work immediately."


	39. Boiling Over

Jet's eyes widened when the knife she had been using to cut through the mass of seaweed blocking the cleaning vent finally sliced through. She'd been working on this for what felt like days, and wanted to put it off, but the small pool was a necessity. Much like a fish tank, it was designed to filter out all of the dirty water, and some modifications had been done make it drinkable. Deciding not to clean the filter all these years had caught up to them, though, so now they were left with the daunting task of cleaning the fountain and installing the new filter.

Picking up what felt like endless strings of seaweed, Jet kicked her way to the surface, letting out a whoop for joy when she broke the surface.

"I got it!" Jet beamed, doggy paddling to shallow water before standing up and throwing the seaweed at her feet.

"Good job!" Pearl said, high fiving the gem. Freshwater nodded. "Yeah, that thing couldn't cut through Steven's coloring pages. I don't know how you managed to make it slice through all of that." Jet nodded, looking down at the small knife in her hands. "I never really got why my weapon was so small." She said, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Like I know I'm an Onyx, so I don't _need_ a weapon, but if that's how they were thinking, why design us with crappy tiny weapons instead of just not bothering with them at all?"

"Stop griping about what weapon the Diamonds designed you with, and be grateful they made you at all." B9 said, yanking what felt like the fiftieth weed that hour. "Easy for you to say. You got a longsword." Jet muttered. "That's because Bismuth's are designed to lead big projects like this." B9 said, thumping her chest proudly. "We were designed to build fortresses in enemy territory, so we had to be armed in case the Crystal Defects-" her eyes momentarily flickered to Pearl and Freshwater, "tried anything."

"So they just waste resources on bad weapons?" Jet said, cocking her head to the side. "That doesn't make much se-"

"Don't argue with the Diamonds desires." B9 said flatly, looking down at her notes. "So, did you get the cleaning vent done or not?"

Jet nodded.

"Good. You can follow simple orders." The gem muttered, checking that off the list. "So next, we need to deal with the dying plants. They aren't bad yet, but we should probabl-"

"The food supply is probably more important." Jet said, shaking her head. B9's eyes snapped up. "Firstly, don't interrupt me. Secondly, the food supply can wait. They still have fruit left."

"Not for long." Freshwater cut in. "They have enough for breakfast tomorrow, at mo-"

B9 sighed loudly. "Man _everything_ is just messed up here, isn't it. Gems who can't tell the difference between a wrench and a hammer think they know what the best plans are for a zoo that _I_ designed. Pearls – _defective_ Pearls at that – think they have the right to speak when they're not spoken to. And, more than that, they think they know things that a Bismuth is designed to know about."

Freshwater opened her mouth to retort, but Pearl placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head as if to say _she's not worth it_. Freshwater hesitated but shut her mouth and shrugged, falling silent.

"Good. Now that that's settled." Bismuth said, clanking at her checklist again. "Let's get back to work.

Over the next few days, tension in the zoo rose, and it rose heavily. Even the humans were seeming to pick up on it, and made conscious efforts to make themselves scarce anytime they saw Bismuth interacting with any of the gems. On the bright side, though their relationship with the Pearls and Onyx hadn't changed much. If anything, it had gotten stronger, with the job of caring for the humans now falling on Pearl and Freshwater's shoulders moreso than usual.

"I just don't know how she did it!" Y6 whispered excitedly. Pearl shrugged with a small smile. "Nobody does. Rose's powers still confuse me, and I knew her best."

"So she just cried over my mom and I and managed to heal me?" Johnathon asked, starry eyed. Freshwater laughed. "Didn't you say that Jet tells this story to you every night?" Johnathon shrugged. "Well _yeah,_ but-" there was a chorus of groans when he was interrupted by the demanding voice of the earrings alerting everyone that it was time for bed.

"Can we just stay up a little longer?" H11 whined, looking up at Y6, who was braiding her hair. "As much as I would like to hear another story about this magical woman, Rose Quartz," J10 said, stifling a yawn, "I am tired."

"I'm not." Johnathon muttered. Pearl tsked. "Well that's a shame, because the longer you're awake, the longer it's going to feel until I tell another story." H11 perked up, a sneaky grin on her face. "Oh, that's okay! Because then we can hear about Freshwater's stories! You said Pearls serve people, right, and you served Rose?" Pearl nodded, unsure where she was going with this. H11 immediately turned to Freshwater, beaming with excitement. "Then that means you have stories too!" she said, hopping up when Y6 was finished. "You served two different gems, so that's twice the stories!"

Freshwater bit her lower lip as the humans interest was immediately piqued. "Ooh, yes! That does sound fascinating! You must tell us of all your interesting activities you did with the gem you served!" J10 said, clasping their hands together and looking up from the ground, hopefully.

"Oh, I….don't think that's a good idea." Freshwater said, forcing a small smile. "My stories are…different." She said, fidgeting uncomfortably. Pearl cocked her head to the side as the humans continued, not catching Freshwater's discomfort. "Oh, so it is, as Jet says, Unique!" H11 said, clapping her hands. "Now we _must_ hear about it!"

"I'd rather not talk about it." Freshwater said, standing.

"Nonsense! Everyone has an interesting story to tell." J10 said excitedly. "I have many, and the children have not been here long, but I am sure they have many was well!"

Freshwater immediately pounced on this opportunity to Segway off of this topic. "Oh, fascinating! Then tomorrow night, you can share some stories about your time at the zoo. You all can!" To her relief, the humans took the bait, immediately growing excited again. "But! That is not until tomorrow." Freshwater said, standing and starting to put the fire out. "For now, it's time to rest."

This seemed to appease the group, and they walked off, chattering amongst themselves excitedly. Freshwater didn't relax until she could no longer hear the humans talking, or their footsteps on the ground below.

…

"What are you doing?" Jet bit her lower lip as she clung to the tree branch with one hand and snagged fruit with the other. "Getting food for breakfast." She said simply, dropping a purple apple and watching as it fell into the small pile of the others. B9 scoffed. "Gems don't need to eat. Anyway, you should take the gracious time I've given you to actually sleep." Jet shrugged. "I don't need food, but the humans do." She said, plucking what she feared was the last bit of food they'd have for a while.

B9 groaned. "What is _with_ you? Why do you care so much about them? They can't do anything. They're useless." Jet scowled. "Not to me they aren't. They make me happy, and at this point I'll take anything I can get to do that." She said, shimmying back down the tree and scooping up what she had gathered. Freshwater had been right, they only had enough for the next morning.

"Your happiness isn't important to the authority." B9 said, scowling. "That's fine. I'm just surprised that my happiness is no longer important to you." Jet said, shrugging nonchalantly. For a moment, the gems stood in complete silence, both shocked at the words that had fallen out of the gem's mouth. Jet started to apologize, but trailed off when she realized that she had nothing to apologize _for._

"If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have showed up to help _you_ fix the mess _you_ made in _my_ zoo." B9 said, a warning tone in her voice. "Oh yeah what a help you've been. Scare the humans into avoiding us, call the same kid you were oh so in love with vermin. That's love right there isn't it." Jet shot back. B9 sneered. "You don't get it. You're falling in love with a species that will be dead in 100 years. Just like Buck. Just like Rose Quartz."

B9 put a finger to her chin, stroking it gently. "Thanks!" she said, beaming. "That's the nicest thing you've said to me all day." She said, her voice sickeningly sweet as she started to walk away.

B9, however, grabbed her hand and pulled her back, gritting her teeth. " _Never_ find joy in a comparison between those gems. They went against protocol, and one of them got themselves killed. The other got someone _else_ killed." Jet tried to pull her arm away, locking eyes with her former friend. "At least they were fighting for something and cared about someone other than themselves. I'd rather die being selfless than live being self-less." She growled, finally succeeding in pulling her arm away.

"Well lucky you, because you're going to get your wish if you keep trying to be like your dead leader." B9 muttered, turning and starting to walk away. This time, however, it was Jet's turn to lash out, picking up a piece of fruit and hurling it at the back of Jet's head.

"Why are you so angry with me stating simple facts?!" B9 snapped, whirling around to face the shorter gem. "They _aren't_ facts! Skinny told me that Buck's not dead. Everyone in the _zoo_ knows that. You're the one trying to spread lies just to mess with my head!" Jet retorted, her voice slowly rising out of anger.

B9 laughed. "Mess with your head? Why would I mess with your head, _Onyx? You've_ been the one messing with _my_ head. Every letter I've sent you since I left on that dumb Cluster mission, you've ignored. I thought you were just grieving over the loss of Buck like I was – like I _am,_ but you never reached out to me. I thought you were dead too, because when I asked about you, nobody would tell me anything! And then you reach out to me, the first thing you say is you need my help with fixing up the zoo?!" she ranted, her voice rising in anger as well. "But _I'm_ messing with _your_ head."

As B9 went on and on, Jet's anger stopped and slowly shifted to confusion. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." She said, holding a hand up to halt the gem. "What the _hell_ are you talking about?" B9 sneered. "I don't know you tell me." She said, anger still clear in her voice, but with a small tinge of confusion. Jet shook her head and sat down on the forest floor. "Jet I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't even know you were writing me. I tried to write you when I first started working, but Skinny said you were on some top secret Cluster mission, and couldn't talk to anyone."

B9 scoffed. "Stop lying." She snapped. "Don't bring Skinny into this mess you've made of your friendship." Jet looked up at B9 as she spoke. "I'm not lying, B9." She said softly. "I…..I thought all this time you were being so cruel to be because you were scared and confused like I am. Scared about where Buck is. Scared about what happened after the trial."

For the first time, B9's face contorted from the stiff and fiery anger she had been showing for the past few days to what looked like confusion. The next time she spoke, her voice was quiet, but hesitant, as if she thought Jet was playing a prank on her. "You…..you really _don't_ know, do you?" she said. "You don't know what happened to Buck?" she whispered, looking up at the sky above them and sitting against her own tree, equally confused.

Jet shook her head. "No. I was always told that what happened after Trials was between you and the Diamonds. I was told that nobody ever finds out about what happens to a gem after they go on Trial."

Jet and B9 sat in silence, both staring at each other in confusion. After what felt like an eternity, B9 finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I…I think we need to talk."

(Hey guys! I know it seems like I'm tossing the Pearls to the side for a bit, but trust me that's not the case. Don't worry we'll be getting back to them in a bit. I promise Jet, B9, and the damaged friendship between the two plays a role in this whole story. Anyway, as usual, I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!)


	40. Final Orders

_**Entry One**_

 _Man, I can't believe I've gotten myself into this mess. On trial in front of the Diamonds. Man I'll be lucky if they shatter me, because according to the poor Zircon assigned to my case, there are WORSE things than shattering. She says I'm lucky I was given this journal to keep myself occupied after leading my gems to go against protocol. It's….primitive, but it's better than being alone with my thoughts, I suppose._

 _Honestly, though? I'm not even scared of what might happen to me. I let Rose influence my actions to the point that I saw – who am I kidding? I SEE humans as gems. To me, they hold some form of importance. I mean yeah they're loud, weak, and don't serve the Authority, but it's cute. They just live on that chunk of rock they call Earth and have a blast._

 _By far, though, my favorite one is Johnathon. I'm ashamed of how I felt about him when I first saw him, and am surprised Rose was as patient with me as she was. I didn't see a point in keeping this…Off-Color Human, as I put it so long ago. He's more than that though. I mean the kid has literally DIED, but he's got this really odd liveliness to him. Only a young one, but he's already so social. Loves to spend time with the Amethyst guards, but I don't want him around the humans yet. I don't want them to see them like I saw him. Rose says it'll be fine, but I dunno. I trust my guards with him, though. Especially B9 and Jet. Those two will take care of everything in my absence, I'm sure. Jet's still young and inexperienced, but I'm sure she can fill my shoes better than even I did. She may have been made for the purpose of maintaining the zoo, but she's quickly learning to care for humans in a way that I still sometimes don't understand. She even goes into the zoo and convinces other Amethyst guards to let some of them out, and of course me and B9 pretend not to notice, because they make her happy._

 _Ah crud, the door just opened. That's my cue._

 _ **Entry Two**_

 _Shattering. Can't say I'm surprised. Guess now that they're hiring a new trainee they don't need me, and yeah they'd be right. I trained that gem to the best of my ability._

 _Am I scared of the verdict? Not really. Like I keep saying, it's kind of what I expected. I lead a bunch of gems astray according to Blue Diamond. Yellow wanted to get it done pretty much as soon as I walked out, but our "merciful" diamond prevented that. Some mercy huh? You think they would be focusing on finding whoever took care of Pink, but nope. They're shattering members of their court. I mean, I guess I get that they're trying to drive home the point that no form of Rebellion would be tolerated, but there's a difference between rebellion and suggesting small changes for the betterment of everyone._

 _I don't think they get that yet._

 _ **Entry Three**_

 _Okay, so apparently shattering gems is some kind of…..event? Yeah they don't just give a trial and then gems disappear off the face of the Earth. Apparently, you get to make phone calls, talk to gems, say goodbye and all that stuff. Some say it's sweet, but to me it just seems like another reminder to the poor soul on the receiving end of my soul of what will happen to those who rebel._

 _They make it seem like I'm receiving mercy in all of this, like I'm the next Rose Quartz. Well, let me get this straight for ya, Homeworld._

 _I'm not Rose Quartz._

 _ **Entry Four**_

 _I've been doing some pushing to find out what's going to happen when I'm shattered. She's been stonewalling me, and the only thing I got out of her that I was "about to find out what's worse than shattering."_

 _I'm gonna go ahead and assume that this is going to hurt like a bitch._

 _ **Entry Five**_

 _B9's not coming. Frankly can't say I'm surprised. She was never fond of Rose, or of change. I thought she was changing when I saw the way she would interact with Johnathon before she had to work on that Cluster mission or whatever it is._

 _Some gems never change, I guess. On the bright side, though, the Famethyst are coming to see me off. I asked that they not let Jet come, though. She's grown on me, and I don't want her to see me like this._

 _In fact, if at all possible, I don't even want her to know about what's going to happen to me. Skinny said she'll do her best, but apparently B9's been trying to get back to the zoo to talk to her. Those two were always close. Damn near sisters if you ask me._

 _I hope my passing doesn't change that in anyway. If anything, I hope they become closer because of it._

 _ **Entry Five**_

 _B9's not happy about my decision to keep Jet out of the loop. She said she deserves to know, and I agree. But not yet. She said she'll do everything in her power to tell B9, and I don't doubt her. Hopefully Skinny and the others can find a way to bypass all her plans though._

 _ **Entry Seven**_

 _After relentless hours of pushing. I finally found out what's going to happen to my gem shards. This…..This is so WRONG. Punishments like this are meant for the very gem who lead me astray, and I've already explained this:_

 _I'm. Not. Rose._

 _I'm nothing like her. I don't care about the Earth, hell I only care about the humans in my zoo. Call me what you like, but I don't care about the general human population. According to the prosecution, my job description requires that I only "provide substantial needs" for those in my care, humans and gems alike. I am not to feel attached to them, or anyone for that matter. Because then my loyalty would be sworn elsewhere._

 _Which….really doesn't make sense to me. Honestly, it makes me question a lot of things. It makes me wonder why our loyalty is something that all of us must have. Loyalty to the Diamonds is what's engrained to us from the day we pop out of our holes. But it also makes me wonder how they see us? Why do we swear loyalty to gems who don't care about us? I mean honestly, I doubt any living gem is loyal to their Diamond. They fear them, yes, and their actions may seem like loyalty, but I ask this:_

 _If right now all of the Diamonds were gone for whatever reason. All of them. What if they were gone? Who would honestly still follow their harsh rules?_

 _We're all made to serve them, but what happens if they're gone? Do we just wander space looking for other people to serve?_

 _Would we even mourn them? I mean after all, they have done away with many gems like me, and even some gems who may not have deserved it in retrospect._

 _We say Earth is backwards for many things, but in a way, I think we're the backwards ones._

 _ **Entry Eight**_

 _Today's the day. You clods finally broke me. You sick freaks. I pray that you made up some bullshit story about where you get the materials for your precious Cluster._

 _Do I have any final words before I take a direct hit from all three of the Diamonds and join who knows how many poor souls in the Cluster? Man I dunno. I'm shaking as I write this. I guess if I had anything to say as a final word it would be this: I'll be back._

 _Yeah. In some twisted, fateful way I'll be back. I'll destroy the Earth, but I'll find a way to get back at you as soon as I do. You won't know what hit you, or how anyone found out what your precious Cluster was made of, because I'm bubbling this journal and sending it off as soon as I finish writing this final entry._

 _To the poor Amethyst guard who finds this…I'm sorry I was such a bad leader. From now on, though, follow the Diamonds to the letter. Don't do anything brash. They don't care about us, nor are they loyal to us._

 _Don't do anything dumb._

 _Take care of Johnathon._

 _And for the love of everything._

 _Don't end up like me._


	41. The Hedge

Freshwater jolted out of her sleep, immediately standing. "I assume you made contact with Steven?" Pearl said, looking up from her spot near where she was tending to a steadily building fire. Freshwater nodded. "Yeah, actually. How'd you know?" she asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes and stretching. "You only really jolt awake like that when you have." Pause. "So, what's new?"

So much had happened since Freshwater and Pearl had entered the zoo. Peridot turning on Yellow Diamond, Lapis starting off as a hostage and leading Jasper to the gems before tricking her into fusing, the resulting horror that was Malachite being dragged into the ocean, a battle between Sugilite and Malachite, Steven and Peridot managing to bubble the Cluster. So much had happened in the course of….how long had it been? The last time she had heard from Steven, Peridot was still begrudgingly working with the gems. How long ago was that? A couple days? Weeks? She knew the passage of time was perceived differently on Earth, but didn't exactly know what that meant. She also doubted that the passing of the days for the zoo was in any way synched with the Earth's, so time felt pretty much non-existent.

Pearl's jaw dropped lower and lower as Freshwater gave her an update on how things on Earth was going. "So….as of now the Cluster's been bubbled?" Freshwater nodded. "And Jasper's still out there?" Another nod. Pearl rubbed her temples and heaved a sigh as she sat down, her head spinning. "I feel so useless out here." She said. "I'm sure Sugilite handled Malachite fine, but Alexandrite would have surely been useful." She said, running a hand through her hair.

Freshwater frowned and sat next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. I'm sure we'll find a way out of this mess." She said, offering her a small smile.

wore under her breath when she felt something hit her head and bounce off of it and land at her feet. "Language." Freshwater rolled her eyes as she bent down and picked it up. "Since when did the zoo start producing fruit again?" she muttered, inspecting it. This fruit was different than the others. A bright banana, red instead of yellow. "Interesting." Pearl murmured, taking it from her and holding it up to the light. "I could have sworn the Bismuth said-"

"And what if we get caught, huh? What happens then?"

"What do you mean if we get caught? We won't. B9, you're the highest ranking Bismuth in existence! Your job is to fix and build things. Just tell them you need some spare parts specifically on Earth. It won't be that-" Jet's ranting stopped short as she and B9 stepped into the clearing, Jet clutching a worn, torn, and tear streaked red spiral notebook to her chest  
"Good morning!"

"What if you get caught what?"

B9 sneered, immediately on the defensive. "What we were discussing is _not_ of your concern, Defect." She snapped before turning to Jet. "You should put that binder away. Don't want wandering eyes going through your stuff." Jet shrugged. "Don't be rude, B9. The Pearls are chill." She said, nodding at Pearl. "Good morning to you as well, Pearl. We were just on our way to fix up the synching of the day and night to Earth, so you two should feel right at home. Can you keep the humans occupied while we're doing that? Homeworld tech can be kinda unstable and dangerous."

Freshwater and Pearl exchanged a look, but nodded. "Yeah, no problem." Freshwater finally said.

B9 grimaced. "Why do you talk to them as if they're on your level?" she asked as they started to walk away. Jet shrugged. "You and Buck used to treat me like that when I first emerged and you're above me in the Authority. Seemed like the right thing to do."

…..

"What the hell was that about?" Freshwater asked, tossing a bright green apple from her tree to where Pearl was. Pearl shrugged, immediately catching it. "Not sure." A pause. "Maybe they were talking about plans for fixing the zoo?"

Freshwater frowned. "No, I don't know if that's it. Jet sounded really angry before she stepped into the clearing where we were. I doubt she was that angry over fixing the zoo." She said, grunting as she let herself fall from the tree. "I think it has something to do with that journal." She said, stroking her chin. Pearl pursed her lips as they began to make their way over to the fountain. "Probably. We should probably stay out of it, though. Whatever feud is going on between them doesn't have anything to do with us."

Freshwater opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it as they neared the small pool.

"Thank you for getting the food networks back online!" J10 beamed as Pearl handed himn the small basket. "Oh, don't thank us. Thank Jet and B9." The humans looked suddenly hesitant. "Aah, yes, the other newcomer at the zoo." Y6 said tensely, picking up the remaining food and handing it out to the others. H11 immediately raised hers to her mouth, but D13 slapped it out of her hands, murmuring something about poison. "Aw, come on, Johnathon, she's not that bad. She's grumpy, but she'd never _poison_ us." Johnathon said, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than the others.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous." Pearl said, rolling her eyes. "These gems are here to fix up the zoo for you. That's why the water looks cleaner. She's a little brash, but she would never harm you."

The humans exchanged glances. "Then you try it." H11 said, trying to hand hers to Pearl.

Pearl flinched. "I don't need to eat." She deflected. "Theoretically I _can_ but I find it unpleasant."

"Ooh, she fears the food too. Best not to eat it." H11 said, the other humans nodding in agreement. "I'm actually rarely ever hungry? It's really weird." Johnathon noted, stroking his chin. Pearl sighed again. "For the last time, there's nothing in this food that's going to hurt you, right Freshwater?"

Freshwater, however, wasn't paying attention. In fact, she'd stopped paying attention as soon as the conversation about food had come up after she heard a bush rustle loudly. Thinking Jet and B9 needed her for something, she turned, but the only thing she saw was a large bush shake for a few seconds before standing still. Just when she wrote it off and turned her head, it happened again. Loud rustle, followed by shaking bush. "Freshwater, you aren't helping my case."

Freshwater jumped at Pearl's stern voice. "S-Sorry. I was…distracted." She admitted, looking over to the tree again. "Yeah no kidding." Pearl muttered, following Freshwater's gaze. "What's so interesting about that bush, anyway?" Freshwater shook her head. "I think someone's hiding in it." She said, standing.

"Well, it is a good hiding spot!" H11 said excitedly. "It's really big! D13 says they're called boxwoods."

Pearl sighed. "Nobody's hiding in the shrub. We're the only living things in here. Anyway, about the fruit-" but Freshwater wasn't listening. Instead, she made her way over to the bush and inspected it, running a hand through its brambles.

Pearl let out an exasperated sigh. "When you're done freaking out over a bush, I'd love your help." Freshwater sighed but nodded. "The fruit can't hurt you." She said, picking a bright green pair from a tree and biting into it. "See?" she said, swallowing it and tossing it to the side before turning back to the bush.

Something was just…off about it. All of the bushes and trees here looked the same, but this one had leaves that were a brighter shade of green and sprouted lighter pink flowers as opposed to the darker pinks of the others. Pearl simply rolled her eyes when she voiced this. "Maybe it's just not done growing yet? Anyway, flowers don't just sprout and all look the same." Freshwater shook her head. "Not Homeworld décor. Holly Blue actually showed me some pictures from Homeworld, and as of late all décor looks exactly the same. Even the flowers are genetically modified."

"Talking about trees is boring." H11 said, standing when she had finished her meal before turning to the other humans. "Let's go play a game of tag!" D13 nodded as him and the others got up and followed her.

"I'll leave you to your bush then." Pearl said, nodding at Freshwater. "Feel free to join us when you're finished."

Freshwater ignored the slight edge to Pearl's voice as she walked away. She wasn't sure why this thing gave her such a bad feeling. The boxwood was one of many that lined the walls of the zoo, so why was this single one in particular giving her such an odd vibe? She was pretty sure she'd only seen this one move. Not the ones around it.

"Maybe I'm overreacting?" she muttered squatting on the forest floor and sticking her hand in. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. Something out of the ordinary? But what did out of the ordinary even mean? She didn't know a single thing about boxwoods.

Freshwater was about to give up and return to the others when she hesitated. "What if I…." she thought aloud, pushing the brambles apart so that she could properly see inside the tree.

Freshwater's eyes widened when she realized that the shrub was not as small as she had thought it was. While it only stood about as tall as herself, it stretched on and on into where she thought the zoo wall was. Rather than a wall, however, she was staring at a dark hallway with dark red carpeting.

Pulling her head out of the shrubbery to get another look, Freshwater confirmed it. At first glance, the boxwood was no different than the others. One of the many that stood there to make a tall hedge that wrapped around the zoo. When you pushed back the brambles behind _this_ hedge, however, you were met with a long hallway. Looking behind her, she thought about telling Pearl, but hesitated, deciding to tell her _after_ she had scoped the place out. Who knew? Maybe this was one of Holly Blue Agate's tests.

Freshwater pushed herself through the hedge again and began making her way down the hall. Looking around, she was even more confused. The hallway had no doors, and the walls were painted jet black. Freshwater was just beginning to reconsider turning back when her right foot met only air below her. Raising her gaze, she gasped when she saw what was painted above.

The Diamond insignia. She knew it well. What was different, though, was the big red "X" that crossed it out.

Her gaze was so preoccupied while she was walking, in fact, that she didn't even notice the large gaping hole below her until she felt her right foot come down on only air. Freshwater immediately lost her balance, her head snapping forward.

"Oh shi-"

Freshwater's curse was cut short by a choked scream erupting from her throat as she fell. Looking up, Freshwater watched in horror as the Diamond Insignia became further and further away. She fell for what felt like forever, but just when she felt like she had practically been dumped into space itself, she landed painfully on her stomach on a couch that cushioned her fall and threw her up into the air and depositing her unceremoniously on her back on the hardwood floor.

Freshwater hissed as her body screamed in pain. Before she even had a chance to recover, however, she felt a sharp object pressing right onto her stomach. Opening her eyes, she yelped at the sight.

A gem with charcoal black skin, razor sharp teeth, and piercing red eyes stood above her, sneering as they held her at sword-point.

"Nice landing, Defect. Now you better explain yourself" here she leaned in, her eyes flashing menacingly _"before I get **angry**."_


	42. Gameplan

"Who are you?" Freshwater asked, remaining perfectly still to avoid angering the four armed, four eyed gem above her. "None of your business." The gem snapped. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shatter your defective gem right now." She growled, her weapon showing no signs of wavering.

"B-because the others will surely wonder where I am." Silence. Freshwater continued when the gem didn't look convinced. "Also I don't think the Diamonds would be happy with killing off part of their little project."

The gem barked out a laugh. "You think _I_ fear the Diamonds? Those clods are lightyears away, and as for Holly Blue Agate? I could take her and any other gem in this pathetic place. I mean just look at me." She said with a cocky smirk. Freshwater did as she was told, looking up at the gem. She had to admit, they looked more than capable of defending themsel- Her eyes stopped when she got a better look at the gem's face.

One light grey gemstone was in the middle of her forehead, and another on her chest. "Jet? B9?"

"Don't call us that." The fusion snapped, their eyes lighting up. Yes, it was definitely them. When Freshwater paid close attention, she could make out the voices of both gems meshed together in an odd way. They didn't seem stable at all.

"The name's Tourmaline." The fusion said, the fire dying in her eyes as she pulled the sword back. Freshwater sat up hesitantly but didn't stand. "But yeah. It's us. What gave it away?" The fusion asked, tilting their head to the side. "Y…your gemstones." Freshwater said hesitantly, taken aback in the sudden change of mood.

"Interesting." The fusion muttered, holding her sword with one hand and reaching down to hel Freshwater up with the other. "You really shouldn't be down here." She said, her gaze hardening. "This is a top secret bunker."

"I'm sorry." Freshwater said, raising her hands defensively. "I just saw the hedge move, and it caught me off guard. I won't be back, I promise. I won't even tell Holly Blue."

The fusion threw their head back and laughed again. "Oh, I _know_ you won't." she said, patting Freshwater's shoulder. "Because if you do, I'll shatter you." She said in a deadpan voice. "Anyhow, you'll be seeing a lot more of this place now that you know about it." She said, motioning for Freshwater to sit on the couch she had fallen onto.

"You're keeping me hostage?" Freshwater said, suddenly alarmed.

The fusions eyes widened. "What? No!" she said, a small smile coming to her face. "I just gotta give you the gameplan."

Freshwater hesitantly sat on the couch. "What gameplan?"

"Oh, nothing major." The fusion said, carelessly tossing their sword from one hand to the other. "I just need your help with a little…..jailbreak I suppose is the proper term."

"See, there's this kid. Johnathon. I – or rather Jet - was entrusted with keeping him safe, and you and I both know how Holly blue feels about "defects". I need to get him off planet, and I need him to be off planet now." The fusion explained, pacing back and forth. "I was thinking that we could strike a deal." She said, leaning back. "While B9 couldn't care less what happens to you or your better half, Jet wishes no harm on either of you. It's the only thing keeping me from strangling you right now for poking around where you don't belong." Freshwater flinched but remained quiet. "So I won't hurt you. At least not while Jet's got as much control as she does. You're safe from us for now. But look." She said, tossing something into Freshwater's lap.

Catching it, Freshwater raised it to her face. It was a banana with a bright blue tip. "I picked it up from the forest floor today after we fixed up the food supply. You'd be surprised how much we get done when we're like this." She boasted, gesturing to herself before continuing. "I've checked the place out, and damn near every piece of fruit on this place has some sort of blue on it. Whether it be a stem or a random splash on the skin. And you and I _both_ know what happens when this thing turns fully blue."

Freshwater tensed but nodded. "Blue Diamond." She whispered. Tourmaline nodded. "And she'll want to see you and your Pearl fuse. But you won't be able to." She said, mock pity in her voice and on her face. "You two work well together. The humans are happy here, and you have completed every task you've been given. It really isn't fair that you look…..like that." She said, gesturing from Freshwater from top to bottom. "It's quite a shame, really. That you're perfect on the inside, so they have to drag some poor Pearl along with you to share in your misfortune."

Freshwater bit her lower lip. "It is. But I still don't understand how you want me to help." Freshwater said. A sly grin crossed the fusion's face. "Aah yes that is it isn't it? How could you _possibly_ help me? Well, for now you don't have to do much. Just keep your head down. But when my plan goes into effect and succeeds – because it _will_ succeed – I'll need someone to take the fall for me. Pearls in general are crappy liars, so there's no point in asking you to cover for me. But you'll be doing my dirty work. So you have to be honest and get us out scot free." She said with a small smile.

Freshwater frowned. "I don't see how I benefit from this."

Tourmaline's eyes flashed and an edge was in her voice. "You get to extend your pathetic life from now to a little later?" Freshwater shrugged. "You act like I care about my personal life? Look, as of now I am the oldest defective gem alive. I mean there are others, but I'm older than them all by a couple thousand years. I thought I would have been shattered a long time ago."

"Then why are you fighting so hard to-" Tourmaline paused, her pacing stopping. "I assume this has to do with the better made Pearl?" Freshwater nodded. "Yes. The last orders I was given were to return the Pearl back to her….family." she said. "My coding does not permit me to drop this mission unless I am told otherwise, and I will not cease until it has been completed." She said, her gaze hard.

Tourmaline pursed her lips and nodded. "Well let me suggest this: If you take the fall for the complete shit-show about to go down, I will personally make sure that your Pearl gets back to her place of residence."

Freshwater hesitated. "How do I know that you won't just get rid of her as soon as you leave?" she asked. "Because I have no reason to? Look defect, violence doesn't bother me. But I see no point in taking out acts of violence when it is not necessary. Now, do we have a deal or not?"

Freshwater hesitated for a moment. What if this didn't work? "Tell me the gameplan first."

Tourmaline nodded. "Smart move." She said, sitting cross legged on the ground.

"It's simple really. Jet and – I mean _I_ will finish the zoo as fast as I can. I can't stop gems from being taken from Earth, but I _can_ take the ones they have now. I also came in my own ship, and have already talked to the other Amethyst guards. They're going to raise all hell while I'm sneaking the humans out of the zoo. Bismuth's got a bunch of crates that she keeps her tools in, so I'll sneak them in in the early morning. Then, the two of us will pretend to put finishing touches on the zoo, but we'll really be tossing them down that hedge chute you came down. There aren't any cameras down here, luckily, so that'll be easy. When they're down here, we'll empty the crates and make sure everyone gets inside. When we're finished you and I will come out. Jet and Bismuth will be fused, again claiming that the materials were far too heavy for one gem to carry. You will be pushing a cart on one of the trolleys I have. That'll be Pearl's crate, so I suggest you say your goodbyes then."

Freshwater nodded. "So, what then?"

The fusion grinned. "Then? Then we get away scott-free." She said, a sly grin on her face. There's no point in us unfusing. It'll take precious time that we don't have. You, on the other hand, will stay here. I don't know what'll happen to you after that, but hopefully it won't be too bad."

"Well, how does me taking all the blame come into all of this?" Freshwater asked.

"You'll tell them it was your idea. Everything. The escape, that you were tired of being treated so poorly, and you wanted to return home." Tourmaline said, as if this was obvious.

Freshwater thought the plan over. She doubted the plan would work, but they had to do something. Blue Diamond was coming, and she was coming soon. They couldn't just sit here and wait for her to shatter them both.

"And you promise that you'll get Pearl back to the Crystal Gems." Freshwater said. Tourmaline nodded. "I swear. Earth's the only place humans can survive anyway." She said, stopping in front of Freshwater. "So, do we have a deal?" she said, putting her hand out.

Freshwater hesitated again, unsure. "Well, I don't have much choice in this." She said, taking the fusion's hand and shaking it.

Tourmaline's eyes lit up and she grinned a sharp toothed grin that reached her fiery red eyes. "Excellent. Now let's get you back up there. Pearl's probably losing her mind." She said, motioning and going over to the corner of the room and rubbing her hand along its smooth surface, searching for something. When she finally found the spot she was looking for, she muttered something, holding her hand to the wall.

Freshwater stood and followed the gem, surprised when the wall slid for them, revealing a small circular room about the size of a closet. Tourmaline motioned for Freshwater to enter first. "Defects first." She said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Freshwater hesitated but nodded and stepped into the small space. Looking around, her eyes widened when she saw the tube above her. Before she was asked about it, however, she was suddenly lifted up and shot straight up in the tube, her eyes widening in fear and surprise.

Her landing wasn't much more graceful than before as the gem was shot up a few feet into the air above the tunnel and landed a few feet away, stumbling but still remaining on her feet.

Blinking in a daze, the Pearl looked around. She was standing in front of a large, dark green ship in the shape of an arm, the doors to the entrance of the zoo right in front of her. A few seconds later, Tourmaline landed squarely on her feet beside her.

"Come on." The fusion said, grabbing her by the arm and leading the way. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Freshwater muttered. "Stop struggling. This is the only blindspot in this whole zoo, next to the broken one in front of the zoo door." The fusion explained, putting her hand to the door and leading Freshwater in.

"Holly Blue will –"

"Holly Blue will what?"

Freshwater froze when she heard the Agate's, cold, hard voice. Turning, she felt herself rooted to the spot when the Agate's eyes narrowed and a sneer crossed her face. "What…are you doing?" she asked, her voice cold and hard as she put her hand behind her head to summon her whip.

Freshwater started to fumble for a response, but was cut off when the Tourmaline unfuzed, leaving Jet and B9 standing in front of her. Holly Blue did _not_ look pleased.

"Holly Blue, please forgive us. We needed to retrieve some more materials from Bismuth's ship." Jet said, gesturing to the ship. "I thought I grabbed everything, but I am extremely forgetful. Please forgive me." The bismuth said, lowering her head. "And _how_ , praytell, does that explain the Pearl being out?" The Agate asked, her anger not subsiding.

"We needed another set of hands." Jet said, automatically jumping to Freshwater's defense. "You should have gotten an Amethyst then." Holly Blue snapped, rounding on Freshwater. "And as for you," she said, brushing past Jet and B9. "Since when do you listen to _these_ gems?" she asked, gesturing to the gems standing behind her.

Freshwater's voice shook as she tried to explain. "I – they were the highest ranking gems in the zoo. The humans needed the parts they were trying to fix, and I thought I could he-"

Jet gasped in shock when Holly Blue raised her hand back, turning so she didn't have to see what she knew was about to happen. Her suspicion was confirmed when she heard a loud slap followed by a pained gasp and a thud.

She heard the Agate whisper something in the Pearl's ear, but didn't catch what before the Agate turned to Jet and B9. "Get what you need from the ship and get back to the zoo." She barked. "Do _not_ let me catch either of you out here without contacting me first, or I will be contacting your supervisor," she said, looking at B9, "and _you_ will receive the same treatment as this worthless gem." She said, gesturing to Freshwater, who was on one knee, her face lowered.

B9 nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Jet's eyes widened, still in shock. "Y…Yes Holly Blue." She finally said, not lowering her salute until the Agate had walked off, muttering under her breath.

"Come on, defect." B9 said after a moment, turning to Freshwater.

"Don't call her that." Jet said, going to Freshwater's side and putting a hand on her shoulder. "You okay, Fresh?" she asked. B9 rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you and I weren't just planning on getting her killed." Jet flinched but ignored her. "Freshwater?" she said again, standing in front of her and lifting her chin up, letting out a surprised gasp when she saw the long, jagged crack in her gem.

".sayd owt ni gnimoc s'dnomaid eulB syas eulB ylloH"

 _ **Hey guys! Summer vacation's coming up this week and I am super excited. Sorry this fanfic is so long, but thanks for sticking around. As usual, hope you're enjoying this as much as I am!**_

 ** _**Please give me any feedback, positive or negative. It REALLY helps. Thanks, and see you next chapter!**_**


	43. You're Welcome

_**I literally JUST updated but I couldn't sleep till I wrote this, so here you go. I sacrificed sleep for this, and I have an exam tomorrow, but I'm writing fanfic. Anyway, enjoy!**_

"My stars, where have you three been? I was worried si-"

Pearl's worried and angry words were immediately cut off when she noticed the state of the three gems before her. Jet's face was tear-streaked as she held Freshwater up, a hand on her waste. Freshwater had one hand covering her face as she stared at the ground, and B9 held the door open for them both.

"What happened?" Pearl asked, quickly rushing forward and taking Freshwater's face in her hands, trying to lift her head up. Freshwater tried to refuse and hold her head in place.

".enif m'I lraeP, gnihtoN"

Freshwater immediately kicked herself internally and clamped her mouth shut. She'd never been hurt this badly by Holly Blue, and had forgotten the side effect of backwards speech cracked gems brought.

As soon as Pearl heard this, she forced Freshwater's head up to look at her, gasping when she saw her cracked gem.

".lraeP, yeH." She said, waving awkwardly as her form distorted, making Jet drop her and the gem crumple to the ground, crying out in pain as her gem cracked even further.

Pearl immediately freaked out, going over to the Pearl and easily picking her up. "What do you do when gems get cracked here?" she demanded, looking at Jet. "Don't talk to her like that. You're just a Pearl." B9 said, standing in front of Jet. "A Pearl who's about to shove her gem through your form if you don't tell me how you heal gems." Pearl shot back, glancing down at Freshwater. The gem's eyes were closed and she let out another groan as her form distorted again. What had even happened out there? Cracks this bad took far more time to get this bad.

B9 growled. "I'd like to see you try." She said, reaching to the gem on her stomach. Before she could summon her weapon, though, Jet interrupted her, grabbing her hand. "The fountain." She whispered numbly, pointing at the pool. "We fixed it the other day. It should work."

Pearl nodded and turned, quickly walking in the direction of the fountain.

By the time they got there, Pearl's heart was pounding in her chest as Freshwater's form distorted every few seconds, the crack growing longer and more jagged. With a final burst of adrenaline, Pearl burst through the final canopy of leaves and into the spot with the pool. As usual, the humans were there, but they quickly moved out of the way when they sensed the stress radiating off of Pearl.

"What is going on?"

"Is she okay?"

"Has she come to finally tell us her story?"

"She does not look like she feels good."

The human's questions went in one ear and out the other as Pearl waded in, instinct taking over as she sat, putting Freshwater in her lap and cradling her head on her arms,. She pushed back the fear as her breath hitched at the sight of her gemstone and distorting form.

Shaking it away, Pearl put a hand to her gemstone and took out a cup, filling it with water and putting it and carefully pouring it over the gem's face. When this didn't work, Pearl carefully lowered Freshwater's head into the fountain and waited.

A second passed. Two. Three.

Pearl bit her lower lip. Maybe the fountain was just old?

Four. Five.

Pear's breath hitched as Freshwater's form distorted again. "Why isn't it working?" Pearl asked aloud, her anxiety starting to rise.

"What do you _mean_ the fountain has to be turned on? What kind of healing fountain needs an on switch?" Jet snapped. B9 shrugged. "If we always used the healing vent, then it'd be a waste of time. Gems usually don't get hurt here." She said. Jet growled and scoffed, but quickly made her way over to the ventilation system. "How do you turn it on?" she asked, looking around frantically.

Jet sighed. "I don't see why you're being so insistent. You act like we weren't plan-"

"Forget about the plan for a second!" Jet snapped, whirling back around. "We were _fused_ when we made that plan! I…I don't want anyone to get hurt!"

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…. Pearl felt herself start to sweat nervously as one of her hands made it's way to Freshwater's face. "Freshwater?" she said, her voice wavering slightly.

"That's how life _is,_ Onyx! Gems get hurt, gems die. Sometimes that has to be what happens when you fill an order." B9 shot back. "You want to get Johnathon away from this place, then someone has to take the fall, and it sure as hell isn't gonna be me."

Twenty. Pearl immediately felt panic take over as looked around frantically. Rose's fountain had some sort of on switch somewhere. Where was the one for this one?

"But right now there's no mission! By letting her die now, what does that accomplish?! Nothing! You have nothing to gain by doing this now!" Jet shot back, clenching her fists. "Ever since you got here, you've been horrible. Un-empathetic. Uncaring! That's not how Buck taught us!" she said, stomping her foot. "I don't understand how you can be so cold after you _helped_ with the Cluster. With the very thing our leader is trapped in right now!"

Nothing. Pearl picked Freshwater's head up out of the water, feeling a choked sob building in the back of her throat. "Come on, Freshwater. I told you we were making it out of this mess together. Don't make me break that promise." She pleaded.

"Empathy isn't how the Diamonds wo-"

"I don't _care_ how the Diamonds work!" Jet snapped, getting in B9's face. "Death is a part of this. I get that. But throwing away life just because you can? That's cold! Illogical! _Cruel!_ " she snapped, shoving her.

B9 stood firm, unfazed. "For someone who's keen on empathy, you sure are getting kind of violent." She said. Jet let out an exasperated sigh and turned back to the machine, deciding to slam down every button she could think of.

B9 stood in silence for a few moments, watching her. "I hope you don't act this way when it comes down to the real deal." She muttered, pushing Jet out of the way before stepping up to the machine and pushing a short series of buttons.

Pearl lowered her head in defeat, tears finally starting to slip out of her eyes as she stared at her partner under the still water. She couldn't go through this again, especially not alone. While she didn't see Freshwater the same way she saw Rose, the two had been through a lot together. She didn't quite understand why, but she knew that Freshwater feared Holly Blue like the plague, but she had still made the decision to try to fight back for them, and, more specifically, for her.

Rose had never done that.

And now here she was, her gem trying to hold itself together in a fountain that didn't work. A fountain that had healing powers, but for some reason was just not turning on.

This was cruel.

"Stop getting so attached to things." B9 snapped, pressing the final button on the system. "In a few days, Blue's coming to finish her off for real, and I won't be here to turn this thing on." Jet stiffened, but said nothing, simply summoning the spiral notebook, giving B9 a dirty look, and stomping off.

B9 rolled her eyes. "You're welcome." She muttered, walking in the opposite direction.

….

Pain. That's all Freshwater could feel as she lay under the waves drifting in and out of conscious. The last thing she could remember was being jostled around before finally blacking out and then being met with darkness. Darkness and a piercing pain.

It was hard to describe. It was like a jolting electricity was rocketing through her body, while at the same time something was holding her body down so that she couldn't move or cry out. There was also a deep sense of sadness, and Freshwater wasn't sure why. It was like her mind had been wiped clean of any and everything, but she was sad. Depressed even. And of course there was the searing pain, especially on her eye. Her eye felt like it was breaking into a million pieces.

For a second, she heard someone call her name, but it was so distant that she couldn't be sure.

This wasn't at all what she thought shattering would be li-

Wait. A new sensation. All around her body. The pain was subsiding little by little, and she felt something wrap around her body. She tensed instinctively, but felt her anxiety decrease when she heard the voice again. "Freshwater!"

Pearl. That's who the voice was.

All the memories came rushing back to her as she felt whatever was holding her tighten as someone kept saying her name in a pleading voice. Yes, Pearl. Her last order! She couldn't afford to die now. She couldn't just leave Pearl on her own up in space.

Clinging to the voice that was talking to her, Freshwater felt herself slowly slip out of the state she was in. Coming to, she finally opened her eyes. She was sitting in Pearl's lap, her head resting on the taller gem's chest. The presence wrapped around her was only half-accurate. Rather than her whole body, Pearl's arms were wrapped around her waist. The gem was holding her tightly, her chin resting on her head as one of her hands ran through her hair, rocking them both back and forth.

Freshwater gasped loudly, immediately regretting it when she choked on the water still lodged in her throat. When she heard this, Pearl pulled away, her eyes shining with tears.

"You're-"

"I'm okay, Pearl. Please don't cry. I'm okay." Freshwater said, her voice hoarse. Pearl lowered her head, another sob wrecking her body. For a moment, Freshwater was unsure what to do, so she hesitantly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the gem's neck, hugging her.

"I'm okay."

 _ ****Thank to everyone reviewing and/or following this! It helps! I would love to know what you guys think of the characters, plot, and story in general!****_


	44. Where Your Loyalties Lie

Freshwater looked down at the water, touching her gem and wincing. It had been a few hours since her gem had been healed, but she could still feel the throbbing pain of it. Frankly, she was surprised that she hadn't poofed. Pursing her lips, she thought it over. The last time she had been that close to shattering was after her fight with Jasper, Holly Blue, and Peridot. Or, if you can even call it a fight. She hadn't exactly fought back. Then, she hadn't even poofed. Passed out, maybe, but she had neither poofed nor shattered. But when the Agate struck her gem, the effects were almost enough to kill.

"What even happened out there?" Freshwater pursed her lips but didn't respond, simply keeping her gaze on the pond. "I couldn't defend myself, that's what." She said bitterly as Pearl sat next to her. "I mean I could have, but I was…." Freshwater sighed. She was scared. She'd always been scared of Holly Blue. "Defend yourself from what? From who?" Freshwater furrowed her brow at Pearl's question. "I…don't want to talk about it." She said, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her chin on top of them. Pearl frowned. "When _will_ you want to talk about it? You can't go your whole life bottling everything up, Freshwater. It's not good for you."

Freshwater snorted. "Look, Pearl, I appreciate your concern. But what's 'good for me' doesn't matter to me. I really don't care what happens to me. As long as you get home, I could die ou-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence."

Freshwater looked up at Pearl's suddenly tense and angry voice, taken aback as she continued. "That was almost an extremely real possibility today, Freshwater. You didn't see what your gem looked like, but _I_ did. It…" she took a deep breath, composing herself. "wasn't pretty." She finally said, crossing her arms and looking away. "I don't understand why you keep talking as if you won't be coming with me back to Earth. Every escape concept you come up with has always talked about me. How better off I would be." She turned her head back, sighing. "But you act like you've given up on yourself. It's frustrating."

Freshwater bit her lip, looking at the pool water. Pearl was right by all means. She had given up on herself a long time ago, and ever since her agreement with Jet, her feelings had only increased. She knew how things would end, how things had to be. And she'd accepted it.

She just hoped Pearl eventually would as well.

…

"They're leaving either late tomorrow night, or early the next morning."

Yellow Diamond grit her teeth at the Agate's words. "And you're _sure_ that this is their plan?" Blue Diamond's voice was icy as she scrolled through the Agate's report. A secret exit from the zoo, recorded exchanges between gems talking about escape, a red X over the Diamond Logo on the hall ceiling – it was almost too much to bare.

Holly Blue Agate nodded solemnly. "Yes, My Diamond. Before reaching the zoo, I studied the map of the area, and there was a difference in the map I was sent, and the maps from the books that detailed the layout in great detail here." She explained, holding up a large map from a book she had been looking through the day she had arrived. "There's a room below the zoo that I thought had been abandoned, and went to investigate. It appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary, so I simply had a camera installed and left it at that in case something went awry. However, when the Bismuth you assigned to helping fix the zoo came, she would often disappear with the Onyx gem to this place and they would talk at length. I didn't get what they were saying, so I had a mic installed in there as well when they were above ground. They have sense explained in great detail their plans to escape the zoo and take the humans with them."

"And what of the Pearls?" Yellow Diamond asked, her voice wavering slightly.

Holly Blue Agate flinched. "Ah…the defective one is also in on this plan. But it seems that she was forced into this decision, as she was threatened at sword-point. She did, however, suggest them taking the Pearl to Earth in their place. As for the better made Pearl, to my knowledge she knows nothing about the plan."

Yellow and Blue Diamond exchanged a look before Yellow Diamond spoke. "I told you this plan was idiotic." She said, putting her head in her hands. "Many materials. Wasted in trying to create this Pearl. If we can get it right, _She'll_ finally be off our backs about this, and we can eradicate these Crystal Gems for good." Blue Diamond nodded solemnly. "Do not lose hope, Yellow. I am already en route to the zoo, and will pick up the Pearls immediately. They have not been lead astray, even by the defective gem's standards."

Yellow Diamond looked up angrily, fire in her eyes. "She – _it_ was considering letting the other Pearl return to Earth."

"Yes, but she would have stayed here and accepted her fate. Anyhow, who is to say that the other Pearl would have went willingly? Like the Agate says, she is unaware of this plan as of late."

Yellow Diamond sighed. "II suppose this would be the time to see where their loyalties truly lie, then."

Blue Diamond nodded, turning to Holly Blue Agate. "Keep on your guard tomorrow. Do not let a single gem escape that zoo, under any circumstances. I would prefer them be kept alive to be taken back and put on trial, but shatter if you must. Especially the Bismuth. She has had many chances with us, and it is time for her final trial. Both of those gems will be put on trial, in fact, and the Pearls need to be kept away from them by all means. I do not want whatever progress they have made to go to waste."

Holly Blue nodded, saluting the gem. "Yes, My Diamond."

…

Freshwater handed Jet the screwdriver, holding the ladder steady for her. The gems worked in silence for the most part, only talking when Jet requested tools. B9 had long sense walked off somewhere to run through the list time and time again, checking to make sure the zoo was in order.

"Man curse this gem tech." Jet muttered, pressing her hand to the mechanism that opened the zoo door. When it slid open, she sighed. "Come on you stupid door, I haven't even inputted my print on it. If you just open up for any old gem or human, you'd be failing your job as a security system."

Freshwater bit back a laugh. "It can't hear you Jet. Anyway, don't beat yourself up. I'm sure you ca-"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Freshwater paused, taken aback by her question. "Because we're working together?" she suggested, shrugging. Jet shook her head. "No we're not. We're not working together for a common goal. I'm damn near using you." Freshwater shrugged. "And I'm using you. Your point?"

Jet groaned, opening the system for the security system to try again. "My _point_ is that you have your whole life on the line." She explained. "You're staying behind and will probably be shattered on sight." Freshwater shrugged again. "Look, Jet. You have a mission to complete. Protecting the humans is what you were made to do, and right now that's in jeopardy. I…..I understand that a lot more than I think you know." She admitted, turning serious. "Ever since I got here, everything I've done has only been so that I can get one step closer to getting Pearl home. Unfortunately, I played a serious role in getting me and Pearl in this mess, and now I'm trying to fix that by making sure she's safe. Honestly I probably would have done it this way even if I hadn't been given the order to. I have no intention of going back to Earth. I've hurt people there, done things that they could never forgive me for." She said, crossing her arms and leaning against the tree.

"But you don't have to return to the CGs." Jet argued, grunting as she finally connected the right wires. "You could just stay on Earth. Free." Freshwater flinched. "See that's the thing. I don't….I don't _know_ if I want to be free. I've never had that before. The thought of being me and doing what I want? Terrifies me. I don't even _know_ what I want, honestly." She admitted.

Silence fell between the two gems as Jet closed the latch and placed a hand on the button. "Look, I won't force you to change your mind, but if you do….I'll help get you out." She said, looking at Freshwater as the door remained closed. "I don't care what Bismuth has to say about it, either. We used to be really close, but I guess losing Buck messed her up. Well that, and finding out her hands are now dirty with our leader's suffering." She said bitterly. "When we fused, it was amazing. We worked together and had a lot of fun. But now?" she shook her head. "Now we're always at each other's throats. She's too angry, and I'm too depressed. And when we're together, we're both too desperate. The plan to entrap you was stupid. Horrible. And I feel like a monster for bringing it up." She said, lowering her head.

Freshwater put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't feel that way. You were desperate. I…I can't say that I would have acted any differently in your shoes. Sometimes wanting to complete an order makes you do things you know are morally correct. But in that split second, you don't _care._ As long as you check off some nonexistent checklist of things, it doesn't matter." She shook her head. "Don't be like that. Don't be like me. Consider this your mess up and move on with your life. Because some of us don't get the luxury of second chances."

…

"I'm so excited! I'm going to spend _all day_ getting Beach City ready!" Steven gushed, throwing his hands up excitedly. "I'll get Peridot and Lapis to help me with some art, and who knows, maybe I'll even convince Ruby and Sapphire to be there! Sour Cream on music for sure."

Freshwater couldn't hold back the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. "Sounds like you've got a huge day planned tomorrow. Wouldn't it be better if you slept?" Steven shook his head. "No _way!_ I'm gonna be tired when I see you again, but it'll be worth it. Oh, I never asked, what's your favorite color? Favorite dessert? Ice cre-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Steven I already told you. I…..can't make it." Freshwater said, holding up a hand. Steven looked deflated. "Why not?"

"I told you. There's not room in the ship." Freshwater deflected. Steven shook his head. "No, you just don't want to face your mistake."

Ouch. That definitely tanked the mood.

Steven continued. "Freshwater, you have to forgive yourself eventually. I've forgiven you, and I'm sure the others will too." Freshwater shook her head. "Steven. I can't go with you. I don't even know if I trust myself to not pull another stunt like that." She admitted. Steven looked confused. "Of…of course you wouldn't! You've been working your butt off to get Pearl back home, so you would never put us in danger like that again."

Freshwater bit her lower lip. She didn't even know how to answer him. "I…..I'd like to think that I've grown a lot since then. I genuinely don't think I would. But I don't trust myself not to, Steven."

Silence.

"But….you care about us, right? I know you haven't spent as much time with Garnet and Amethyst, but you care about Pearl and I?" Steven said. "If you do then-"

"My feelings don't matter, Steven." Freshwater cut in.

Steven looked taken aback. "What? Of course they ma-"

Freshwater shook her head. "No, you don't get it. When it comes to orders, they override my emotions. It doesn't matter how much I feel. I feel like I don't wish any will intent on anyone. But that is all overshadowed when I'm given an order. I'll put it this way: I'm like a computer. I was designed a specific way, for a specific purpose. My teachings were like programming. Some codes override others. My emotional coding is always overridden by any order my superiors give me at any time. My physical well-being is pretty much nonexistent in terms of importance. Orders…..they rule my life, Steven." She admitted, hanging her head in shame. "The only time my emotions almost came out on top was when we released Lapis Lazuli. It hasn't happened sense."

There was another pause before Steven spoke hesitantly. "Well…..what if your emotions lined up with your orders?" Freshwater frowned. "I'm not sure I follow."

Steven stood up excitedly, taking Freshwater's face in her hands. "What if I ordered you to return home safely? That way –"

"No!" Freshwater snapped, pulling away and getting up furiously. "That's not how this is supposed to work." She continued. "You've ordered me to get Pearl back, and there's no _way_ that I can possibly do both. The plans in motion, and I have to stick to it."

Steven stared up at Freshwater, shocked. "But….but I can't just let you not do anything to save yourself and walk into a shattering." He persisted. Freshwater growled. "No. I'm not coming to Earth with Pearl." She said, looking up at the sky as it started to fade to black.

Freshwater took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." She said. "But this is just how things have to be."

…

Freshwater opened her eyes, anger making her body shake and sweat. Sighing, she stood and stood, stretching. Looking next to her, she was surprised to see that Pearl was still asleep. "Let her sleep. Today's going to be a big day." Freshwater glanced behind her and nodded at B9. A short and clipped "Yeah" was her only response.

"What's the matter, didn't sleep well?" B9 asked, arching an eyebrow. "Maybe." B9 rolled her eyes. "Look, I _was_ going to thank you – consider it an honor, since Pearls like you don't get that. But if you don't want it-"

"Don't mention it." Freshwater muttered, pushing past her and heading in the direction of the pool to splash some water on her face. B9 rolled her eyes. "What's got your uniform in a twist?" she asked, sitting next to her. "And _why_ would I tell you?" Freshwater asked, arching an eyebrow. B9 shrugged. "I couldn't care less if you did or didn't. I was just curious. You should probably fix your attitude soon, though, considering todays your last day you get with your friend there." She said, nodding in the direction of their campsite.

Freshwater remained silent.

"What is even with you two, anyway? You two are close, but you don't fuse. What's up with that?" Freshwater sighed, running a hand over her gem and splashing more water on it to dull the ache. "I can't fuse. I don't even think that's a defect thing, because I know a defective Amethyst who could. I think that's just my own personal issue kinda thing."

B9 nodded. "Well, you better figure it out. Because in the _extremely_ rare chance that you get a second chance, you better fuse with that gem and fuse fast." Freshwater shrugged. "I don't even want a second chance. I'm tired of delaying the inevitable." She said, wiping her face and standing to find a place that was B9 and stress free. The Bismuth shrugged. "Suit yourself, I guess. Oh, by the way."

Freshwater whipped around when she felt something collide with the back of her head. Turning, her eyes widened when she saw the state of the apple.

Blue.

Looking up at the trees, she noticed some of them had sprouted blue ones as well. There were very few spots left to cove.  
"Blue's coming a bit quicker than we thought, apparently."


	45. Now or Never

Jet held her breath as she and B9 crept slowly through her ship. She knew she was the only one on board, but it was still eerie. "I can't believe I'm doing this." B9 muttered under her breath, opening the closet and pulling out a large crate full of tools and opening it. Saws, drills, screws, and the like, as expected. There were also two extremely primitive forms of earth communication. She believed they were called Walkie-Talkies.

"It's what Buck would want us to do." Jet said, bending and picking up one, a small smile on her face and clicking it on, surprised the batteries still worked. They hadn't played with them much, but still.

""Maybe." B9 muttered, looking through the crate before closing the closet door and leading the way to another closet and grabbing the other crate stashed there. "We may need another trip, since you insist on not using Tourmaline to help with this." Jet shrugged, tossing the Walkie-Talkie back into the crate. "Guess two trips it is then." She said, walking to one of the crates and waiting for B9 to join her.

B9 sighed. "Friendly reminder, you're going to have to be fused with me later today." She said, going over and helping her lift the crate.

"I know."

"Then why do you hate it so much?"

Jet bit her lower lip. "I don't like how we act together." She said after a pause. "What we did to Fresh – what we're _doing_ to Fresh. After this, we won't be fusing again. I don't want to feel like more of a monster than I am."

….

"Alright you useless chunks of Earth." Holly Blue snapped, pacing back and forth in front of the Amethyst guards. "We've got two rebels on board this ship. Two gems who are more than capable of causing a revolt as big as the one those Cursed Crystal Gems created. I know they've been sneaking around the zoo, in and out of this very room."

Everything in the room became immediately tense. "Yes, ever since I did your room checks and installed that camera the same day, I've known more than you may think I know. I don't know why you are sneaking a human in and out of the zoo, and I don't know how the Onyx and B9smuth want to implement you in whatever little plan they have going on. But I do know this." She stopped pacing and snapped her whip into the air. "Whatever little "plan" is going on, will _not_ be going into effect. Now, or as long as I am reigning this zoo. Today, you _will_ guard that ship, and I will be roaming the halls to make sure you are all at your posts. If those gems get away, I will shatter you myself. Is that understood?"

The gems around her nodded anxiously. "Yes Holly Blue Agate."

The Agate nodded. "Good. Then get to it!"

….

Freshwater carried one of the crates brought to her around the zoo as the humans helped her pack food for their trip. She wasn't sure how long it would be, but it would suck to have the humans die on their way to their new ho-

"Freshwater."

Freshwater yelped and jumped, dropping the crate immediately. Turning, she was happily surprised to see Jet. "Oh. Hey. Have you finished unloading the crates?" Tourmaline shook her head. "No. I've retrieved them from the ship though. I need to go act busy for a while." She said, holding up a toolbox. "Throw off the cameras and suspicion, you know? Jet's down below unloading the crates. Can you guys get the humans ready?"

Freshwater nodded. "Uh, yeah. No problem." Tourmaline nodded and Freshwater went back to the campsite, surprised to see that Pearl was still lying there, snoring lightly. Freshwater was about to leave the gem, but her heart leapt into her chest when she saw the holograms spilling from her gem. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but Steven and Pearl sat on the same beach she and Steven usually did.

Freshwater immediately jumped into action, rushing over and shaking Pearl awake. "Pearl. Pearl get up!" she said, lightly shaking her. Pearl groaned, and her hologram version looked confused. Steven appeared to become frantic and took her hand in his, his mouth moving really quickly. After a few more shakes, though, the gem opened her eyes. "Freshwater? What is it? I was just in the middle of-"

"We're getting out of here." Freshwater said, offering a hand to help her up. Pearl nodded. "Yes, I am aware. Steven and I actually managed to make contact last night!" she said excitedly. "He told me that there was a plan for us to make it out today." Freshwater's heart dropped. "How much did he tell you?" Pearl frowned. "Not much, unfortunately. Just that you had a plan, and that there was one bad thing about it. You woke me up before I found out what the bad thing was, though. What was it?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Freshwater bit her lower lip. "Oh…nothing really. Well, other than it may need to happen a bit more quickly than usual. Blue Diamond may have found us out, because she's rushing over here pretty quickly."

Pearl paled slightly.

"But it's okay!" Freshwater said, raising her hands and forcing a smile. "B9's already unloading the crates, and Jet's distracting the cameras."

Pearl sighed. "A…Alright then." She said, still tense. "So we're loading up in crates and being shipped out like cargo?" Freshwater chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that's how you could think of it. Now come on, let's get the humans loaded up."

The rest of the day was more frantic than they expected it to be. The humans didn't want to leave their new home, and it took a lot of convincing, especially for D13. The boy wasn't at all upset about leaving the zoo – in fact he seemed genuinely excited to be leaving. But the second he realized Earth was where they were headed, he'd become irate, screaming and shrieking.

Strangely enough, though, they weren't ever able to figure out why he didn't want to go back to Earth. The only thing they could coax out of him was extremely broken English like "I remember", "never again", "hell", and "horrible place". The biggest question, of course, was what they would do with them when they got back to Earth. Pearl recommended that they stay in Beach City and the Crystal Gems would try to re-introduce them to Earth customs. Interestingly, when D13 heard he would be with them in Beach City rather than his original unknown hometown, he had settled.

When the D13 situation was settled, they all helped in picking fruit for the trip. It would be annoying having to cry while eating, but the food was still edible despite the color and effects. Y6 and J10 were also hesitant, but seemed open to the idea of a new place with new friends. H11 just wanted to be wherever her brother was, and Johnathon expressed the same feelings about Jet.

Around 1, Freshwater looked around at the humans, doing a final headcount. "Is that everything and everyone?" Pearl shook her head. "Not everything. The earrings." She said, reaching out for them. The humans nodded and took them off, Pearl immediately chucking them into the water. "Okay. So now we're just waiting on B9." Jet said, checking her list a final time. "Man, what is her deal? She should have finished this hours ago. The crates were heavy, and she mentioned wanting to check the ship a final time, but still." She muttered, biting her pencil fretfully.

"Would it hurt to go check on her?" Pearl fretted. Jet nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." She said, fumbling in her uniform pocket and handing a Walkie-Talkie to Pearl. "If anything's gone awry, just call Code Red on this." She said. Pearl nodded, a small smile on her face. "Oh, yes I know what these are. Steven plays with them all the time with Connie and Peedee." Jet nodded. "I'm gonna pretend that I know who those people are. I shouldn't be long, though. If I call a code green, you're safe to come on down." She said, nodding at the two. "I'm sure B9's just triple checking stuff. She's really paranoid about this whole thing. Anyway, you know where the secret exit is right?" she asked, turning to Freshwater, who nodded. "Good. If I call red, get _out_ of here. Promise or no promise, you high tale everyone out of here, and use the exit on the door. Okay I shouldn't be long."

She started to walk forward, but Johnathon followed her. "No, Johnathon. You stay here." She said firmly. "But what if she's in danger? What if you're just walking into danger too?" he argued, hugging her waste. Jet tsked, returning the hug and running a hand through his hair. "Johnathon. I'll be fine." She said, forcing her voice not to waver. "This whole situation is scary for both of us." Her eyes flickered to Freshwater and Pearl. "For all of us." She corrected. "But we'll get through this, okay? And when we get to Earth, we'll do tons of fun things, and we can live happy. Like how Buck would've wanted us to."

Johnathon didn't look convinced, tears welling in his eyes. "Hey, don't cry. The action hasn't even started yet." Jet said, hugging him tighter. "Johnathon. Look at me." She said, taking his face in her hands and raising it. "Nothing bad is going to happen if I can help it. I promise. Just trust me. Now, I have to go check on Jet, but you'll see me soon." She promised, pulling away and walking to the hedge.

"She's going to be fine," Pearl said, putting a hand on Johnathon's shoulder as Jet gave him a small wave and ducked out.

…

Jet bounced lightly as she landed on her feet from the secret exit. So far, she'd seen no sign of B8, but kept her hand in her uniform pocket next to her Walkie-Talkie just in case. "Going up to the ship, she crept inside. "B9? B9 what's the hold up?"

When there wasn't a response automatically, Jet started to worry, but felt it subside when she heard her companion's voice. "Over here, Jet." Jet couldn't help but smile with relief. "You're calling me Jet again? That's sweet." She said, making her way over to where she heard the voice come from. "You haven't called me that in a while." She said. "I….should've called you it more when I had the chance." Was the gem's weak reply. Jet arched an eyebrow. "Don't worry about it. We're going to Earth for a fresh start, anyway. We can…work through this together." Jet said. She wasn't sure how it would work out, but if they were on the same planet they might as well try to get along.

"Could you be a little louder? This place is huge." Jet asked, stopping in the hallway and momentarily letting her guard down. That was until she heard a loud cry of pain. Jet immediately sprang into action, sprinting in the direction of B9's voice. "B9?! B9?" she called, sprinting through the endless maze. That was when she heard it again. Another cry of pain right up ahead and around a corner.

"C-Code Red! Code re-" Jet rounded the corner in time to hear her companion cry out in pain as a skinny Jasper held her against the wall at knifepoint. Jet fumbled for a moment, jamming her hand into her pocket to pull out her Walkie-Talkie. She barely managed to pull it from her pocket when Skinny swiftly poofed and caught her gem, turning to Jet and holding it up for her to see, tears streaming down her face.

"Please. Don't make me do the same to you." She whispered, dropping the gem and kicking to the side. "Come with me back to Holly Blue Agate. Things will be easier if you just-"

Jet shook her head and sprinted past Skinny, scooping B9's gemstome up from the ground and turning on the Walkie-Talkie.

….

Freshwater nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a shrill "Code Red!" erupt from the Walkie-Talkie. Looking at Pearl, the taller gem nodded. "Okay humans, you heard the gem." Freshwater said, quickly ushering the humans toward the door as Pearl slammed her hand onto it.

Freshwater swore under her breath. That's right, Jet had managed to fix the security system. "Think we can chance the secret exit?" Freshwater asked. Pearl nodded. "Yes. I'm familiar with Homeworld's tactics. They spread out their gems just in case they get attached from an unlikely spot. There's more than likely a gem down in that hidden area Jet was referring to, if someone knows about it. Jet got through there fine, though, so the problem is probably where when you land. In or around the ship. I'll go check it out." Freshwater snorted. "Not alone, you won't." she said, following Pearl as she started to walk to the hedge.

Pearl rolled her eyes, not wanting to argue. "Fine, you can wait on the top level. No sense in both of us getting ourselves killed."

Freshwater hesitated. "Fine. But if something goes wrong-"

"You stay up here." Pearl said firmly as they all pushed through the hedge and into the hallway. "I have far more training fighting gems than you do. I can defend myself better than you think. I can defend _us_ better than you think."

Freshwater sighed, deciding not to waste time arguing. Plus, Pearl was right, as usual. "Wait, before you go, there's a chute that can take us to the surface. The gems that got Jet and B9 are probably just up there we should go ahead up and clear out whatever gems are there, and then come back for the humans while they're getting reinforcements. This place is huge, so they're probably spread out. I'd say we have about 20 seconds. Not comfortable, but manageable."

Everyone froze when they heard the door to the zoo being pounded on loudly. "And, we better do it now, because we've got company." Pearl nodded before turning back to the hole, summoning her weapon, and jumping, landing on the couch and bouncing on her feet. Holding her breath, Pearl looked around, bracing herself.

Walking around the area, Pearl had her weapon poised, bracing herself. She waited a few moments, but when she heard nothing, she went back to the couch area and turned on the flashlight for her gem, motioning for Freshwater to follow.

Going over to the wall and looking for the small hand insignia, she glanced at Pearl to make sure she was ready. The gem stood a few feet away and nodded and gripped her weapon, and Freshwater took off her visor, summoning her own weapon. It was small, but she knew how to use it. When she finally found the small logo, Freshwater pressed her hand to it.

It was now or never.

 _ ****Hey again guys! Hope you're enjoying the story. Things are picking up, so get ready! Also I see your Reviews, and they are extremely helpful! Please continue writing them!****_


	46. Together

_****Whelp I'm finally on Summer Break! Here's an extra long chapter to celebrate! Reviews are both welcomed and appreciated!****_

Nothing.

Freshwater frowned and wiped her hand on her uniform before she tried again.

Still nothing.

"It's…not opening." She said, turning to Pearl and feeling panic raise in her chest. "Maybe there's some way to activate it?" Pearl suggested, putting her spear down and starting to look around the room. "Not that I remember." Freshwater said, looking around the room as well. "Some kind of lever? Button, maybe?" Freshwater shook her head, watching as Pearl ran her hand along one of the walls. "No, when Tourmaline put her hand on the thing, it opened and worked immediately. She didn't do anyt-"

Freshwater jumped when she heard what sounded like an explosion followed by hurried footsteps. Immediately after, all was quiet with the exception of the muffled yelling of a gem above.

Snapping her head around, Freshwater was surprised to see all the humans piled up on the couch. Y6 held a shaken up H11, J10 holding D13, and Johnathon landing beside them. "What happened?" Freshwater whispered.

"We don't know. We heard an explosion, and a loud voice. I think it was only one person, but they were looking for you." Johnathon said, climbing off the seat.

Freshwater felt her breath hitch in her throat as she turned to Pearl. "We gotta get the chute open _now._ " She said, ushering the humans off the couch. "Did you try the handprint thingy? This is where the others hid me out during most of the day." He said. Freshwater nodded. "Yeah. I did." She said, peering under the couch cushions.

Johnathon frowned and made his over to the hand print, pressing his hand to it. "She must have figured we would all be leaving together." He said, shrugging when the door to the chute slid open.

Freshwater glanced up at Pearl. "You can drive a ship, right?" Pearl nodded. "Yes. It's not difficult at all, actually. It's more of an autopilot feature." Freshwater nodded. "Good. You take the lead then, and I'll get the humans up so you can get the humans out of here."

Pearl looked hesitant. "We."

Freshwater bit her lower lip but nodded. "Right. We." She said, still unsure how that was going

to play out with how quickly the footsteps were approaching.

After Pearl had successfully made it through the chute, Freshwater quickly ushered the humans through the ship one by one, feeling her heart thud in her stomach. "Tell Pearl to go ahead and set the coordinates when you get up there, and that I'll be right behind her." Freshwater instructed J10, who nodded. "And you're sure Earth is better than here?"

Freshwater looked behind her, biting her lower lip as she heard the thundering footsteps in the hallway. "I'm positive." She said, pushing them inside and watching with relief as they shot skyward.

As soon as the chute was ready, Freshwater started to step inside, but hesitated. Previously, she had no intention of returning to Earth. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the place.

But if she didn't leave, there was no way Pearl's persistent nature would allow her to-

Freshwater's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a loud whoosh from behind her. Spinning around, she gripped her weapon in one hand shakily, a shudder running down her spine when she saw Holly Blue Agate standing there.

For a moment, the two gems stared at each other, Freshwater looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "Where is the other Pearl?" Holly Blue demanded, motioning the gem forward. Freshwater felt herself on the verge of answering, but clamped her mouth shut, swallowing her words back but standing firm in her silence.

The Agate sneered. "You're lucky that I have been ordered to bring you and the other Pearl to Blue Diamond, or I would shatter you right now." She growled. "Where is-"

"Freshwater? Freshwater hurry up! I've set the coordinates, and the ship's leaving in five minutes!" Freshwater felt her heart drop when she heard Pearl's voice from above. The Agate's eyes flashed and she grit her teeth, starting to walk across the room to the chute.

As the Agate was approaching, Freshwater removed her visor, moving as if she were getting out of the Agate's way. When she was a few feet from the chute, however, Freshwater stepped back in front of the chute shakily.

"Freshwater? What's going on?"

"What are you doing?" Holly Blue Agate growled, momentarily pausing in her advances.

"Pearl." Freshwater said, taking a deep breath. "Get back on the ship."

"Don't be ridiculous! I've already told you-" Freshwater ignored the gems argument and instinctively summoned her weapon in one swift movement. The Agate didn't appear to have registered what was going on, but Freshwater made her intentions extremely clear when she slashed the gem across the face with her blade.

The Agate stumbled back, crying out more in surprise than in pain. Immediately after her attack, Freshwater turned on her heels and fled to the chute, shooting upwards just when the Agate had recovered from her shock and was rushing forward to exact the due punishment.

"What took you so long? We-"

Freshwater ignored, simply grabbing the gem's arm and pulling her in the direction of the ship. When they reached the ship doors and saw a handful of Amethyst and Jasper guards standing there, though, Freshwater felt her heart sink. They didn't even appear to be in a formation of some kind. Simply standing there solemnly. Instead of attacking them, one of them stepped forward, hanging their head in shame. Freshwater looked hesitant, and Pearl looked tense, but instead of attacking, she simply held out her hand, holding out two gemstones. One of the Amethyst guards left the group and handed Pearl a red spiral journal.

"Good luck."

Freshwater and Pearl exchanged a look, each hesitantly picking up one of the gems. Freshwater opened her mouth to ask, but one of the Jasper guards, a skinny one with white hair and bright orange eyes, shook her head, motioning for the other Amethyst and Jasper guards to follow her into the zoo, leaving the Pearls alone.

"Where are they?!"

Freshwater and Pearl immediately jumped into action when they heard Holly Blue's enraged voice along with hurried footsteps. Immediately after, the gem rounded the corner and locked eyes with Freshwater, infuriated.

Pearl grabbed Freshwater's arm and dragged her onto the ship. "I'll hold her off. You find the button that closes the door." Pearl said, summoning her weapon. Freshwater opened her mouth to argue, but closed it when she saw the clock counting down. Twenty seconds to liftoff. Freshwater grabbed the gems Pearl had been holding and quickly rushed inside, handing the gemstones and spiral notebook to Johnathon, who looked down at them, shocked. "J….Jet?"

"She's fine. She's resting." Freshwater said, not having time to explain the concept of reformation at the moment, too busy focused on trying to find the button that closed the door of the ship.

She glanced at the timer. Three minutes.

Maybe it was near the front and they'd overlooked it? Freshwater rushed back to the doors, letting out a cry of shock at the sight in front of her.

Holly Blue Agate had successfully managed to wrap Pearl's spear up in her whip. With a sharp tug and a cocky smile, Pearl's spear was yanked from her grasp, the gem stumbling back and onto her back, scrambling backwards.

"You're lucky The Diamonds said I was not permitted to shatter you. Poofing and cracking, however," she said, advancing on the gem as she scrambled back "is permitted." Freshwater felt her shock shift immediately into blind fury.

Holly Blue Agate turned just in time to see Freshwater launched herself from the ship, flying through the air, an enraged battle cry ripping through her. "I see the Bismuth and Onyx have left an impression on you." The Agate sneered, catching the gem by the shirt collar and holding her off the ground with one hand, her whip clenched in the other.

Pearl watched from her spot on the ground in shock as Freshwater became what could almost be described a feral. The gem was a lot smaller than the Agate, but made up for it with her speed, the weapon in her hand swinging swiftly through the air so fast that it was only a glint of silver and made a "whooshing" noise as it cut through the air. Even the Agate seemed to be having trouble holding the gem at a distance, momentarily shocked by the gem's sudden fury.

When she recovered from her momentary shock, Holly Blue Agate shook her head and narrowed her eyes, pulling her arm back and hurling the Pearl like a ragdoll.

Freshwater cried out in surprise when she was suddenly airborne for a few seconds before colliding hard with the side of the ship. The collision was enough to momentarily shock the gem as she fell back to the ground in a crumpled mess, her head throbbing after it collided solidly with the ship.

When Freshwater had recovered from her momentary shock, she raised her head, her heart leaping when she saw the stairs that lead to the door quickly rising from the ground, the ship lifting higher. Looking closer, she spotted a button the same color of the ship that had a small staircase icon on it. With a small smile, she noted that it was in the same spot the Agate had thrown her in her blind rage.

Freshwater was shaken from her shock when she felt someone stoop down and quickly pick her up. Looking up, her eyes widened when she saw Pearl's determined gaze locked on the ship as she launched herself at the ship, leaping a few feet off the air.

Freshwater closed her eyes to steady herself from the spinning world around her, not opening her eyes until she was jostled slightly when the gem carrying her landed solidly on the floor of the ship below.

"Everyone get ready!" Pearl said, putting Freshwater on her feet and going to the ship's piloting area. "We're set for earth, and launching in a minute forty-five."

Freshwater watched as the humans quickly rushed to their cells and huddled close together. Were they really getting away with this? Was she really returning to Earth? Back to the gems? To their furious fusion leader? The gems she had betrayed?

Freshwater gulped and stepped back, shaking her head. She couldn't do this. "Freshwater, what are you doing?" Pearl called, looking up in alarm. Before Freshwater had a chance to respond, though, she felt something wrap round her leg and pull hard, sending her crashing to the groud. Looking back in alarm, her heart jumped at the sight of Holly Blue Agate standing in the hand of an enormous Amethyst fusion, gripping her whip as she pulled hard.

"Freshwater? What's wrong?" Pearl demanded, looking up. Freshwater started to explain, but yelped when she was suddenly yanked towards the ship door, unable to cling onto anything. Pearl jumped up and quickly rushed over to her companion just as her legs were dangling from the ship, grabbing her hand.

"Pearl. Let go." Freshwater said, glancing down at the Agate before looking back up at Pearl when she felt another sharp tug. Pearl shook her head furiously, grabbing Freshwater's arm with her other one and pulling hard. "No! I told you. We're getting out of this together!" she said, gripping as tight as she could as another hard pull made it so she was leaning outside of the ship, gripping the ship door for support. "You keep talking about how all you want to do is protect me. But it's my _duty_ to protect you." Freshwater's eyes widened. "Wh…what are you tal-"

"Before Rose died, I vowed to her that I would start a rebellion. Free every gem suffering under the Authority of the Diamonds. It wasn't my last order, but it was the most important. It was her most important one." She said, gripping the ship as a hard tug almost sent her toppling overboard "Please. Let me do this for Rose." She said, reaching a hand to Freshwater's other hand, her eyes pleading.

"Let me do it for you."

Freshwater hesitated, her heart pounding as she looked down. Below her, the Agate had several other Amethyst guards pulling her whip with her, a determined smirk on her face. She knew they wouldn't be able to hold on for long. Returning her gaze to Pearl, she looked behind her at the timer on the ship. Ten seconds left.

"I….." Freshwater felt her heart jump into her chest at the glint in the Agate's eyes as she prepared to tug again. She couldn't just leave Pearl to go the rest of her life having failed this because of her. Sacrificing her life was one thing, but now that she knew about Pearl being tasked with defending people she deemed as Crystal Gems in her leader's absence, she couldn't.

She couldn't be the one to cause Pearl to lay awake at night, wondering why she couldn't complete this one simple mission as she had done every night at the zoo.

Freshwater nodded and reached her hand out, grabbing Pearl's hand.

And that was when it happened.

The Agate gave a hard tug, sending both gems toppling over the edge and into the palm of the Amethyst guard, the ship door immediately slamming shut as the timer hit 0.

Freshwater felt her heart sank as the ship lifted into the air and immediately shot out of sight, on its way to Earth without them.

Without Pearl.

….

Freshwater and Pearl sat in the all too familiar closet, Freshwater hissing in pain as Pearl pressed a cotton swab soaked in alcohol to her face. "Sorry." She whispered. Freshwater nodded. "No problem." She muttered.

The two lapsed back into silence, Pearl pursing her lips as she looked Freshwater up and down. The gem had a black eye, and the back of her shirt was torn in different places, the skin underneath a fiery dark blue, radiating heat. She also had a bright blue hand print on the side of her face, the skin of it red with irritation.

"Actually…..it is a problem." Pearl said, moving the rag to get a look at Freshwater's face and grimacing at the sight of the hand imprint. "Holly Blue Agate called you out to "talk", and you come back looking like this?"

Freshwater shrugged. "It….isn't the first time." She admitted, looking away.

Pearl's eyes narrowed. "What? This has happened before?"

Freshwater sighed, deciding to come clean. "Yes. Quite regularly, actually."

Pearl's eyes flashed, suddenly remembering Freshwater's cracked gem. "Why didn't you _tell_ me?" she asked, growing increasingly frustrated.

Freshwater shrugged. "I…didn't think you needed to know?" she said. "I thought we would have escaped by now, and by the time we got away it wouldn't matter."

"Anyway," Freshwater continued, "I figured if you knew, you'd be itching for a fight with Holly Blue, and I didn't want that. I wanted to prote-"

"Freshwater let me ask you something." Pearl said, removing the cotton swab and looking at the gem seriously. "How long has this been going on?" she asked. Freshwater thought for a moment. "Honestly? I don't know. It's always happened. That's kind of how she trained me. Reward and punishment. Well, I guess more punishment. No reward." She said, shrugging.

Pearl looked mortified. "She beat you regularly?"

Freshwater shook her head before pausing. "Well, I guess in the beginning yeah. Because I kept messing up. And that was the punishment to messing up." She said, shrugging.

Pearl scowled. "And that doesn't…..bother you?" she said, confused.

Freshwater shook her head. "No? I mean I'm….not important." She said, looking away. "I exist to serve, fill orders. You know. I mean I guess it does? But to me, emotions aren't important. They get overrode by orders. It's how I was programmed." She explained. "Orders are….kind of my whole life?" she said, arching an eyebrow.

"So in a way, yeah I am the Perfect Pearl. I just….don't look like it." She muttered, glancing down at her form.

"That's no excuse for you to be treated this way." Pearl said, motioning Freshwater onto the bed and walking behind her, wincing at the long jagged cuts lining her body. "I mean, this is ridiculous! I'm surprised you didn't even poof." She said. Freshwater just shrugged again, leaning forward onto the bed and letting Pearl work. "What can I say. Pain tolerance." She said with a small shrug.

Pearl frowned. "I don't care how high your pain tolerance is." She snapped. "She's not putting her hands on you again as long as I'm here to stop it." Freshwater winced both at Pearl's tone and at the familiar sensation of alcohol on cuts.

"You won't have to worry about it, considering Blue Diamonds is coming in a few hours." Freshwater said, sighing. Pearl stiffened. "Yes….that's true." She muttered, lapsing the two back into uncomfortable silence.

"Freshwater?"

"Hm?"

"When you attacked Holly Blue Agate." Pearl said. "You lashed out in a way I've never seen before. Why didn't you ever do that before?"

Freshwater frowned, thinking. "I guess I never felt a need to fight back." She said, closing her eyes. "I didn't really care if she hurts me. Not that I care now, of course." Freshwater added bitterly, pushing herself up when Pearl had finished and grabbing a uniform top. "I never really saw a need to fight back until you were being attacked." She explained, pulling it over her head. "When I saw you being attacked by Holly Blue though, I…..I just lost it." She explained, staring at the closet wall. "When Steven left in the Warp Pad, he made me promise to protect you. Protect you and get you back home safe. Not that I wouldn't have done that, but being instructed to only fueled my desire to do so."

"I…I also just didn't like seeing her treat you that way. I don't mind being Holly Blue's punching bag. But I didn't want her to think I'd let that fly with you." Freshwater continued. "I

"But you shouldn't have to be." Pearl said, grimacing as she sat next to Freshwater. "She shouldn't treat you that way." Freshwater looked up when Pearl placed her hand on top of hers.

"And I won't let her, or anyone else, continue to do so." Freshwater stared at the gem, speechless. "But…I can't allow that." She said, shaking her head. "I have to protect-"

Pearl shook her head, squeezing the gem's hand. "You've protected me enough. Anyhow, if you're the one protecting me," she said, turning her head to face Freshwater, "who's the one protecting you?"

"I…" Freshwater thought for a moment before turning her head, locking eyes with Pearl, unsure how to respond. "You don't have to go through this alone." Pearl said softly. "I've been by your side throughout this whole fiasco. And I will continue to be by your side, no matter what." She said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Freshwater looked into Pearl's eyes, still at a loss for words as she reflected on their time together so far. Pearl had been with her all along, it was true. They were both stranded in space with a terrifying leader, but they'd had each other. While Freshwater had been protecting Pearl physically, Pearl had been protecting her mentally. Keeping her grounded with her calm nature, even if deep down the gem was probably as scared and tense as she was.

They'd had each other throughout this whole mess, just as Pearl had said.

"We're going to get out of this." Pearl promised, standing and offering her hand to the gem. "Together."

Freshwater stared up at her hand, hesitating for a moment before taking it, feeling a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Right." Freshwater said, as Pearl hoisted her to her feet. Pearl gave her a small smile and hugged her, and for once Freshwater neither flinched or pulled away, her eyes welling with tears as she hugged the gem back almost instinctively, the feeling in her gut spreading throughout her body as she buried her face in Pearl's shoulder.

"Right." Freshwater said, tears spilling through her closed eyes as she hugged the taller gem tightly.

"Together."

….

Skinny made her way to Holly Blue Agate's room, head lowered. Not only had she and the other Amethysts all been reminded of the grief of losing their leader, but their attempt to save two members of their crew had failed, the Agate loudly boasting about using fake gemstones to test the gems. She'd outsmarted tem, and now B9 and Jet were probably still in the zoo hidden away somewhere.

Opening the door, the Jasper guard made her way to the closet to retrieve the Pearls as instructed by Blue Diamond. When they reached the closet, they froze when they saw a bright flash from under the cracks of the door, their breath hitching.

Suddenly hesitant, Skinny approached the door and put her hand on it. "Okay, guys, Blue Diamond is here." She said. No response. "Guys?" Skinny called again, rapping on the door. The Jasper thought she heard a shocked gasp, but otherwise didn't get a response. "I'm coming in." Skinny said in a warning voice. Muffled footsteps approached the door, but immediately retreated, followed by shuffling.

Skinny took a deep breath and summoned her weapon before pushing the door open. Looking around, she was confused when the only thing she saw was a lump of blankets in the corner of the room. "Guys?" Skinny tried again, stepping into the closet, confused. She froze when she heard something shuffle under the blankets. Taking a deep breath, Skinny grabbed the blanket and yanked it up, raising her weapon to attack.

The gem hiding under it shrieked and cowered under her. "Don't hurt her! Don't hurt….don't hurt me?" the question felt more directed at themselves than at the Jasper standing above them.

Skinny stared down at the gem, taken aback. "F….Freshwater? Pearl?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and lowering her weapon. The gem underneath them lowered their hands, and Skinny's breath hitched when she saw the dark blue gemstone on the gem's eye along with a pale white gem on their forehead.

"T….Tahitian." The fusion said, their voice barely above a whisper as they remained tense. "My name…is Tahitian.".


	47. Inspection

Tahitian stood motionless, staring down at B9 and Jet's gemstones in the cells opposite her. This….didn't even feel _real_. She was on a ship with Blue Diamond, and had just touched down in Homeworld.

 _Homeworld!_

The fusion paced back and forth in their cell, tugging at their short, magenta hair. "We're dead. We're so dead." She muttered to herself, pacing faster and faster. "We're on our way to Homeworld, where the Diamonds will determine whether or not they want to shatter us. And the last thing we do is try to escape. We-" the gem fusion put their hands in their head. "We're….we're so dead."

"Pacing is probably not going to change that."

Tahitian jumped when they heard the soft voice of Blue Pearl address them. "Oh….hello." she said awkwardly. Blue Pearl pursed her lips, looking the fusion up and down. "You don't seem perfect enough to serve My Diamond." She said, frowning. Tahitian bit her lower lip, looking down at herself. Honestly, she agreed. The fusion was a mixture between a dark blue and a green, and had lavender hair. They were clad in a pink skirt with a bright teal sash. Their shirt was black with white sleeves, along with a star much like that of the Crystal Gems, but with the colors of the Diamond Authority. Tahitian cringed when she saw the star. Yellow in particular was not going to like that.

Pursing her lips, the pearl looked at them, a faint hint of pity in her voice as she spoke. "Well, come on then." She said, pressing her hand to the hand print on the outside of the cell and motioning for Tahitian to follow her.

Tahitian wrung her sash in her hands as she followed the pearl. She honestly didn't know what to expect. While Holly Blue Agate was practically picking her jaw up off of the ground with shock at the sight of the fusion, Blue Diamond appeared to be neutral, simply motioning for the gems to follow her. Upon getting on the ship, Tahitian had turned and locked eyes with the gem, and both gems seemed equally surprised that she was on her way to Homeworld.

It felt so surreal.

"So…is this like a trial?" Tahitian finally asked, looking down at Blue Pearl as they exited the ship and stepped into a large room with dim green lighting. "Not really." The gem said simply. "There is no defense attorney or prosecution. But your actions will be taken into consideration, if that makes any sense." She explained before falling silent. Tahitian gulped. That was probably _worse_. At least with a proper Zircon, she could defend herself. This, though, was just a presentation of facts.

"So, what's going to happen to me if they decide they don't like me?" Tahitian said, gripping he rsash tighter. "I…don't know. My Diamond is very merciful. But I cannot speak for how Yellow Diamond will react." She said, glancing up at Tahitian. "However, if it makes you feel any better, if it is shattering that has you worried, White Diamond has to approve that." She said, leading Tahitian through a dark hallway and into a brightly lit purple room. "Wait here, and either myself or Yellow Pearl will come to take you in to see the Diamonds." She said, motioning Tahitian inside. "Oh, and by the way." She said stepping back towards the door and moving her hair from her face so that Tahitian could look into her eyes and see how serious she was. "I suggest you be open and honest with everyone about what happened today. Especially Yellow. Neither of them are happy." And with that, she closed the door and left Tahitian to her own devices.

Tahitian sat in the corner for what felt like an eternity, feeling her anxiety rise and fall with each passing moment. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire, I guess." She said with a forced laugh, hanging her head and finding herself starting to talk to herself.

"We…we shouldn't have tried to escape."

"What? Yes we should have. There was no point in staying there and waiting for Blue Diamond to come for us."

"But if we would have waited, we'd have been a lot more likely for them to be easier on us. Now, we've tried to escape, and worse than that we _failed._ And have you seen our shirt?! Yellow's going to flip!"

"I know I know."

Pause.

"What do you think's going to happen to them. B9 and Jet, I mean."

"I….don't know. And I'm not sure I want to know."

Another pause.

"I wish I was back with Holly Blue Agate."

…...

After what felt like another eternity, the door slid open, and Yellow Pearl stepped in, grimacing when she saw Tahitian. "So, it's my replacement." She said bitterly, crossing her arms. "I doubt that after today." Tahitian muttered, standing. The Pearl pursed her lips and arched an eyebrow. "You aren't….excited? About the mere possibility of you serving the Diamonds?"

Tahitian shrugged. "Not if it means replacing other Pearls and increasing my workload ten-fold." Yellow Pearl looked genuinely shocked about this, and simply shook her head. "Well, come on then." she said, motioning her out of the door and into a room that was dark save for the bright white triangle at their feet. "Wait here." She ordered, motioning for her to sit as floor lit up with a blue and yellow triangle. Tahitian did as she was told, sweating nervously as Yellow Pearl went to stand in front of her Diamond's throne.

A few seconds later, Blue Pearl materialized in front of her own Diamond's throne and the pair made their way to the center.

Yellow Pearl cleared her throat loudly. "All rise for the luminous Yellow Diamond!" Tahitian immediately straightened up, trying to keep from shifting as Blue Pearl announced her own Diamond.

Tahitian bit her lower lip as the Diamonds appeared in front of her, towering over her at unimaginable height. Tahitian gulped and immediately saluted the two, bowing low, not even daring to look in the face of either, lest she accidentally lock eyes with one of them.

For thirty agonizing seconds, Tahitian held her bow, feeling the Diamond's gazes bore into her.

"At least my eyes don't cringe when I look at her for to long." Yellow Diamond finally spoke. "Look up, you miserable thing, you." Tahitian's head immediately popped up. "Yes, Yellow Diamond." She said, biting her lower lip and slowly standing, biting her lowr lip and looking everywhere except in the hfaces of either Diamond.

Yellow Diamond sneered when she saw Tahitian's shirt. "And what is the reasoning for that uniform you are wearing in both mine, and Blue's presence?" she demanded after she and her Blue counterpart were seated on their thrones. Tahitian felt her mouth go dry. "I…" she took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I apologize, my Diamond." She said. "I did not consciously chose how my new form comes to me. I suppose being with the Crystal Gems has left some impressions on me that I cannot forget." She said, looking down at her shirt.

"Clearly." Blue Diamond said, pulling up her most recent reports. "Much like your latest, incident."

Tahitian bit her lower lip. "It….It was an order." She said, rubbing her arm. ""An order that directly flies in the face of all of Homeworld. Freeing the humans, escaping to Earth." She scoffed, rubbing her temples. "Those were Pink's pets, and now we will have to get _more_."

"No, we don't." Yellow Diamond interjected. "We could just get rid of that place. Blue, you have been grieving over this for far too long. When are you going to let go and move on, shatter the rest of those Rose Quartzs, and-"

"Never." Blue Diamond said simply, turning back to Tahitian. "Now, as for your recent outburst." She said, narrowing her eyes. "Explain yourself."

Tahitian nodded. "Yes, Blue Diamond." She said, taking a deep breath. "As you know, I am a fusion of two gems – one that is extremely well made, and the other is defective to the point of not only physical deficiency, but also….mental." she said, biting her lower lip. "If you check my reports, despite the fact that they are defective, they complete every order that is given to them. No order that has been given by anyone on Homeworld to me ahs gone without being compleed. However, there is a defect in terms of who I follow." The fusion explained. "I was created by an Agate and a Peridot, so by those stances they were made remarkably well. If you recall, the only one that made it out of the ground. However, they, the defect, has a problem separating who I am supposed to follow orders for. So when I was threatened by the Bismuth and Onyx guards, I was….hopelessly confused. I knew it was wrong, but I was given an order, so I felt like I had no choice." The fusion explained, looking up at the Diamonds.

"What I did was not acceptable. By any means. But that is why it happened." She finished.

Blue and Yellow Diamond exchanged a look before Yellow Diamond spoke. "You do realize that you have single-handedly caused far more chaos than you are worth, I assume." Tahitian nodded. "Yes, I am aware, Yellow Diamond."

Blue Diamond hesitated. "And, you are not excusing your actions." Tahitian shook her head. "No. It is not becoming of a Pearl to act the way they did. I…. _they_ even struck the Agate when she tried to disrupt the completion of my task." She said, rubbing the back of her head, ashamed. "The Defect meant no ill-intent towards her, but when they am given an order, no matter who from, everything else is tunnel-visioned out, somehow. Nothing else is important, except this completion of a task, no matte how simple or complex. They cannot help it, as it is a part of their defective nature."

"A part of your defective nature that could easily keep this plan from even getting off of the ground." Yellow Diamond said. Blue Diamond nodded in agreement "While your ability to follow orders cannot be denied, if you follow any order any gem gives you, you will be of no use to us. Even your current uniform is telling of that." She said, frowning in disgust before turning to Yellow Diamond. "What do you think?" she asked, eying the Defect.

For a long moment, Yellow Diamond stared Tahitian down. "Considering that this is the only thing we have to show for all of our efforts," she said, standing and making her way over to Tahitian, lowering her hand.

"I think we need to go show her to White. If she approves the Pearl, we can get to work."

…

(A week later)

Steven stared up at the stars, eating his signature snack he had when he was feeling depressed. Macaroni and nothing. The boy was stressed. Damn near depressed. When the humans had shown up without Pearl or Freshwater, he had been devastated, but tried to stay on the bright side when they had told him that they had done their best, and didn't appear to have given up. He tried to keep that same mentality, but between missions and having to make sure the humans were cared for, he was growing weary.

Everything had been going so right at first. They had run into a few gems looking for Jasper, but had easily thrown them off with a game of baseball. He'd managed to heal Centipeetle considerably well until she had fallen victim to corruption again. And they had managed to fend Jasper off multiple times thus far, once with him and Connie, and another separate event had put Lapis on top as she had punched the Jasper guard off their ship. Jasper was still out who knew where, and the Ruby guards would probably be back, but up until that day things had been going well. The week had been eventful, but had yielded good results in Steven's eyes.

He just wished he could keep up that optimism until Freshwater and Pearl returned.


	48. Flaws

"White Diamond. White! Diamond!"

Tahitian paced back and forth in the dingy, dark, and cramped space, hyperventilating.

"What's the big deal? She can't possibly be tougher than Yellow."

The fusion shook her head, banging on the sides of her head with her fists. "No, no, no you don't understand! She – She's _nothing_ like Blue! Nothing like Yellow!"

The fusion paced faster and faster, biting their fingernails and looking at the window far above them. "This – is just _too much_." She said, throwing her head back and screaming, the sound echoing off of the walls.

"Pearl. Pearl, keep it together. I'm right here, and we've made it this far, haven't we?"

The fusion shook her head vigorously in answer to her own question. "You don't get it. She _can't_ see me. More importantly, she can't see you." She said, her chest rising up and down as she spoke.

"Pearl. Focus for a second." The fusion sat up, hugging themselves and shaking from the cold. "I'm right here. We're still fused, and I'm not going anywhere. We'll talk to White, and she'll see that so far for her little operation, we're the best she's got." Tahitian shook her head. "That's…not what has me the most concern-"

Before they could continue, the door to the dark and dungeon like space slid open and Blue and Yellow Pearl entered, peeking their heas in. "Are….you okay?" Blue Pearl asked, stepping inside. Yellow Pearl glanced behind her shoulder, hovering in the doorway keeping watch. "We heard you scream from a bit away, and we were concerned." Blue Pearl explained, sitting next to the fusion.

Tahitian looked at the gem, dumbfounded. "You….came to check on me?" she said, somewhat surprised. Blue Pearl nodded. "Yes. Seeing as one of the members of your fusion used to be a part of our group," she said, raising her hand and carefully pushing the strands of hair away, smiling when she saw the Pearl gemstone resting atop the fusion's head, "we're kind of obligated to check on you."

Tahitian leaned into Blue Pearl's touch, feeling a deep mixture of emotions. Grief, sadness, and ultimately confusion.

"What's wrong? You and Pearl used to work together? What happened?" Tahitian asked aloud, pulling away in confusion.

Blue and Yellow exchanged a look. "We should probably go back to Blue and Yellow." Blue Pearl said, sanding and giving Tahitian a comforting smile. "Whenever she feels like you should know, you'll know." She said simply, grabbing Yellow Pearl's hand and rushing out the door.

Tahitian felt extremely conflicted. She could feel both of her gems in some sort of disruption.

"What's going on?"

Silence.

"Why can't you just tell me why White Diamond can't see you, or at least how you went from working with the Pearls to being under Rose?"

Another brief pause. "She…she won't let me." Was the only simple response before the gem fell silent.

Tahitian furrowed her brow, deep and confusing emotions racking her body. Sadness, loss, and…grief? Why was one of her gems grieving?

"Pearl, I—"

Tahitian's head snapped up when she heard the door creak open and a Pearl stepped inside – no, more like she _glided_ inside and up to the fusion, giving them a smile that didn't reach their eyes. When they spoke, it was more as if someone were more of a puppet than anything. No expression. It was creepy.

"White Diamond requests your presence immediately." She said.

The fusion yelped when they were suddenly enclosed in a bright white sphere, stumbling back and landing on their rear, still holding the gemstones.

Tahitian picked herself up and looked down at the Pearl, confused. "Where are we going?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest. "To White Diamond, as was stated." The Pearl said simply as the sphere came down.

Tahitian raised her hands to her face, looking away at how utterly bright the room was. The floor was a clean, polished grey that did nothing to distract from the painfully bright whiteness of – well, everything else. The stairs, the walls, and especially White Diamond herself.

"Aah, so _you_ are the new addition to our court Blue and Yellow Diamond have been trying to hide from me, is it?" Tahitian lowered her hands and forced herself to stare up at White Diamond. The gem was tall. No, tall didn't cover it. The gem was _massive_ in height. Taller than Blue, taller than Yellow even.

Tahitian's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish as she stared blankly, trying to avoid looking into White Diamond's eyes the way the gem was trying to get her to. She honestly could only stare in both shock and sheer terror.

"Nothing to say, hmm?" White Diamond said, her voice quiet, but by no means soft nor tender. "That's alright. That's how I prefer my gems. Seen and not heard. Especially the Pearls." Tahitian nodded vigorously, not daring to try to speak.

"Yellow and Blue have told me about your little mishap." White Diamond said, tsking and shaking her head. "You know that is not acceptable – but." She raised her finger to her lips, shushing Tahitian as she opened her mouth. "I also know _why_ you are acting this way. I know a lot more than you are probably aware of." She coed with a canine like smile. "I know your flaws, and how exactly they are inhibiting you." Her grin widened. "I _even_ know how amazing you would be as a fusion if you were to simply fix these flaws."

The fusion cried out when they were picked up by the scruff of the neck like a cat and plopped into White Diamond's other hand. "Would you like to hear them, Tahitian? The answer may surprise you." She said, raising the fusion to eye level.

Tahitian shook with fear. This gem….wasn't _right._ She couldn't tell what was off about her, or her cured Pearl, but she hated it with a passion. It made her incredibly uncomfortable. "How do you know my name?" she blurted, immediately clamping her mouth shut. For a moment, White Diamond's smile fell before she giggled. "Your _name?_ Tahitian, I can assure you that I know far more than your name." she said, her smile grinning. "For example. Your fusion." She tsked loudly. "You cancel each other out well enough. One of you strives to do nothing but serve and fill orders. But, you forget who your loyalty truly lies to. And the other? Ahh, you are the same in the sense that you do not know who to serve. You walk around serving on a planet that will no doubt be destroyed soon. You depend on a gem long gone, much like the Onyx gem."

"Such a shame really. You all work so hard and are so loyal – but you're not loyal to the right people." White Diamond continued. "I'm surprised you have figured this out long ago, Defect, but your problem is not your programing. It's _you._ " She shook her head, tsking again loudly, a small smile on her lips as she put the fusion down. "And of course, your physical form is not the least bit clean to look at. Speaking of which, I have yet to see it. " She said, shaking her head as she put the fusion down.

"Unfuse for me. Let me see what all the fuss is about."

Tahitian froze. "I…..I can't." she said, taking a shaky step back. "I don't know how. I didn't even mean to fuse the fi-" she jumped when she suddenly backed into someone. Whipping around, she was mortified to see that it was Tourmaline. But….not Tourmaline? Rather than her jet black skin and fiery red eyes, the gem was roughly the color of the Pearl.

White Diamond smirked as the fusion swung their weapon at Tahitian, forcing her to jump out of the way, shocked. "I thought you would say that." White Diamond said, shaking her head as he Tourmaline rushed forward for another attack. "Accidental fusion is the worst kind of fusion." She explained, watching almost boredly as Tahitian swung for her neck and Tahitian's blood ran cold at the sound of the blade cutting through the air. "Unlike battle, many accidental fusions are done on a whim. Out of care, love and empathy for their fellow gems." She said, rolling her eyes when she said care, love, and empathy. "It's sick." She spat as Tahitian stumbled backwards and onto her back, rolling to the left as the blade came swinging down dangerously close to her face.

"You fuse for the Authority. For whatever reason we order you to. Not for fake things such as love and emotions." White Diamond said as Tourmaline put their foot on Tahitian's chest and raised their sword to strike. 

"Now," White Diamond said, looking down at the fusion. "You have exactly five seconds to figure out how to unfuse before I give the order to poof you both. I suggest you hurry, because either way I'll be seeing you. Five."

Tahitian bit her lower lip, looking up at what was left of Tourmaline.

"Four."

The hand of the fusion above her shook slightly, as if they were holding back, a small tear in the corner of their eye.

"Three."

They hadn't even been under White's control for a few days, and they already looked miserable.

"Two." White Diamond said as the sword raised to drive it into the fusion. 

"I'm sorry." Tahitian said, her eyes flashing as she took a deep breath and felt the all too familiar anger start to seep through her.

"One!"

The gem on Tahitian's forehead glowed bright and a bright blue shield shot out of it, immediately knocking the fusion above her off of her. Tahitian hopped up and immediately caught the weapon, blocking the next shot Tourmaline aimed at her before reaching into her gem on her eye and pulling out a bright blue sword and rushing the gem, jamming it into her side.

For a long, agonizing moment, silence filled the room as the fusion fell apart, leaving Jet and B9 on their knees, gasping for air. "Th…Thank you." Jet said, staring at Freshwater's gemstone before she poofed into a cloud of smoke. Bismuth looked up at White Diamond and back at Tahitian, nodding in thanks before poofing as well.

Tahitian bent down and picked up the gemstones to bubble the, but before she could, an enraged scream filled the air, making her jump and turn. Tahitian's didn't have time to react as the blinding white beam hit her right in the face, initially hitting her body before starting to encompass her immediately starting to spread out to her gemstone on her eye.

Tahitian shrieked in pain, immediately dropping to her knees and gasping for air. "This is what happens when you are loyal to the wrong people." White Diamond said, her voice cold and harsh. "Look at yourse-" her eyes widened in shock as the fusion came undone, leaving defect with slowly graying colors and a completely unharmed Pearl.


	49. Mission Complete, But At What Cost?

Pearl watched in horror as Freshwater writhed in agony, the blue tint to her skin starting to grey at a noticeable rate.

Immediately rushing to the gems aid, she pulled her visor off, mentally reeling at the sight of her gemstone. "Why are you doing this?!" she demanded, looking up at White Diamond with a mixture of fury and desperation. The gem she was addressing put a hand to her chest, feigning shock. "Don't direct all of your anger at me, gem." She said, tsking. "I am not the one who set off the events that lead to you being in my presence today. You can thank the very gem you're holding in your arms for that."

Pearl's eyes flickered to Freshwater before darting back to White Diamond. "I don't know what you-"

"Of course you don't." White Diamond cut in, sneering. "Don't you see, Pearl? You think my gems just happened to stumble upon you traitorous band of rebels? That it was only a mere coincidence that you and your crew were captured mere months after the unbubbling of your newest member? You really think the will of a pearl so well made can be broken so easily? No, no, my pet. That's simply not the case. She may be impressionable, but thanks to my improvements," she said, looking down at Freshwater who had gone deathly silent, staring up t the ceiling above. "That will not be happening as easily."

Pearl looked down at Freshwater in disbelief, watching as the gem stood and stretched. "See? Good as new." White Diamond purred, nodding in approval at Pearl. "I don't even have to control her. All I have to do is suppress that small inkling of loyalty she had left for you gems. And bam." Freshwater immediately stiffened, staring vacantly at Pearl. "She's under my control. Now, Pearl." Freshwater turned and saluted White. "Yes, My Diamond?"

"Please explain to your partner exactly how you have come to be ehre today." White Diamond said, a smug look on her face. Freshwater nodded and turned to Pearl, not missing a beat.

"You were right to be suspicious of me all that time ago, and we wouldn't be here if you had kept up your suspicion." She explained, her gem lighting up as she projected depictions of the events she was referring to. "Every night, I snuck off to the Kindergarten and contacted Holly Blue Agate and Peridot, giving them directions to your bass, explaining your habits and weaknesses." The gem bit her lower lip as she continued. "It was really quite easy at first. You trusted me." A flicker of emotion crossed Freshwater's face for a split second before the vacancy returned in her eyes.

"That was your biggest mistake. Because while you did rub off on me, while I began to follow Steven's demand to keep you safe and return you to Earth unharmed, I…." she bit her lip again and looked behind her at White Diamond, stiffening. "I'll always be a Diamond's Pearl." She said, taking a step forward. "And now, you will too."

Pearl stared up at Freshwater from her spot on the ground, shocked. Hurt and hot anger ran through her body as she jumped up, summoning her weapon. Freshwater pursed her lips. "You don't want to do that." she warned, not even flinching as Pearl rushed her, weapon drawn.

"I _trusted_ you!" Pearl snarled, lunging at the gem and grabbing a fistful of her shirt, lifting her off the ground.

Freshwater snickered. "As I said," she said, staring down at Pearl as tears welled in the gem's eyes. "That was your mistake." She said, shrugging.

"I see your loyalty to your teammates isn't as strong as you thought." White Diamond said , a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "No matter, though. Pearl?" Freshwater's head snapped up as she looked towards White Diamond. "Yes, My Diamond?" she said. "It appears your partner isn't fond of returning to serve the Authority. Perhaps we can change that."

Freshwater nodded, a broad grin spreading across her gem as she turned her head back to Pearl. "Yes, My Diamond." Before Pearl had a chance to react, Freshwater quickly reared her leg back and shot it skywards, kicking the gem holding her in the face, making her stumble backwards and drop her weapon. "Impressive." White Diamond nodded as Freshwater launched herself at the gem, pinning the gem beneath her. "Now, just poof her and bring her to me and we'l fix her right up."

Freshwater nodded. "Yes, My Di…." Her voice trailed off when she locked eyes with the Pearl below her. The order felt like a slap in the face, knocking Freshwater out of her daze slightly. Shaking her head, she tried again. "Yes, My Diamond." She said, raising her weapon and preparing to strike, her arms shaking. "well? What are you waiting for?" White Diamond demanded, making Freshwater flinch.

The gem felt like she was in a mental battle, like something was forcing her to act this way, a force that she was afraid to fight against. "I…..I ca-" Freshwater gasped as she felt a sharp pain in her gemstone, a small cracking noise echoing around the room and disrupting whatever control she had re-gained.

"I _highly suggest_ you not disobey me." White Diamond purred, her eyes flashing. "I can assure you that whatever you endured while you were with Holly Blue Agate is _nothing_ compared to what I can inflict." She said. "Now. The Pearl."

Freshwater shook her head before returning her gaze to the Pearl below her, feeling her body act on its own accord. Poofing the Pearl wasn't an option in this scenerio.

Freshwater gulped as a desperate idea came to her mind, something that she had considered once or twice but never thought she would ever act on. Her voice shaking, Freshwater relented, relinquishing most of her control to White Diamond as she turned back to the Pearl, her voice shaking. "Yes, My Diamond." She said, biting her lower lip as tears welled in her eyes. She didn't want to do this, but she had no choice. White controlled most of her movements, and this was her last ditch effort to at least save someone else from this horrible fate.

Forcing her eyes closed, Freshwater looked away as her arm came down, not opening her eyes until she heard a poof followed by a small clink.

"Now, was that so difficult?" White Diamond purred as Freshwatrer looked down at Pearl's gemstone. "Now, bring her to me. Her, the Bismuth, and the Onyx."

Freshwater nodded and did as she was told, carefully picking up the gemstones and walking in White Diamond's direction. "Hopefully this will serve as a lesson to you, Defect." White Diamond said as Freshwater stopped at her feet. "While you are serving me, there is no free will. There is no such thing as free thought, and, above all, there is no concept of loyalty to anyone but your Diamond. Right now, you are lucky to be acting separately from me, something my other Pearl is not so lucky to have, as I have to control all of her movements to ensure that she stays in line. Be careful how often you defy me, because every time it happens, your gem will come ever closer to cracking. And when it does." She nodded at White Pearl. "You'll be just like her. Is that understood?"

Freshwater nodded. "Yes, My Diamond."

White Diamond nodded. "Good. Now," she said, motioning her other Pearl forward. "Give me the gems, and we will finish this little dispute."

Freshwater closed her eyes as White Pearl made her way over to her, raising her hands and cupping them around the gems. When the gem finally stopped, Freshwater opened her hands and eyes, staring at White Diamond through a bright blue tinted bubble.

White Diamond's eyes widened as she sneered, her eyes flashing a bright white. "I suggest ou let that bubble down right now." She said, her eyes going brighter and brighter with every second. Freshwater locked eyes with White Diamond, her bod. my shaking as she fought against some unseen force, her hand creeping nearer and nearer to the top of the bubble.

…

Pearl opened her eyes and looked around, confused. She was standing on the ground on the living room wearing blue jeans and a green tank top, a green jacket draped over her shoulders with a yellow star on the back. B9 and Onyx sat on the couch talking quietly, and the yelling of humans echoed across the beach.

"Welcome back." Pearl jumped when she felt a hand land on her shoulder, her eyes widening when she was met with a warm smile from Garnet, beaming down at her. "Steven's been waiting for weeks for you to reform. He missed you."

"I….What's going on?" Pearl asked, shaking her head and looking around the room. She was back on Earth? But, how? Was she dreaming? Garnet picked up on the gem's shock, pursing her lips, but before she could say anything, Steven barged inside, "Garnet, Connie and I-" the boy fell silent when he saw Pearl, his eyes lighting up immediately as he tackled Pearl to the ground. "You're back! You're back!" he exclaimed, tearing up. Hearing the commotion, Amethyst came out of her room, immediately going over and roughly running her hands through Pearl's hair, punching her shoulder.

"Reformation took you long enough!" she exclaimed, laughing loudly. "B9 and Jet only took about a week. You've been out for at least two."

B9 snorted. "You try taking a hit from a fusion between Fresh and Pearl." She said, nodding at Pearl. "Hurts like you wouldn't believe."

"That's…..impossible." Pearl said, shaking her head as she stroked Steven's hair tentatively, as if she feared he would disappear with a poof of smoke. "The last time I saw Freshwater, she'd poofed me. She's the one who-"

"Yeah. We know Pearl. Steven told us." Amethyst said, squeezing the gem's shoulder.

"I tried to tell you in that dream, but you woke up before I had the chance." Steven explained, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Forgiving her will take time." Garnet said, putting a hand on Pearl's shoulder. "The important thing, though, is –"

Pearl still looked confused. "No, no, no. You don't understand. She was under White's control when she attacked and bubbled me." The room went dead silent for a moment before B9 spoke up..

"That's impressive." B9 murmured. "I don't know any gem that's walked away alive after disobeying a Diamond. Let alone doing so in front of their fa-" Jet elbowed her in the side and gave her a death glare.

Pearl felt her stomach lurch, but the gem was still in disbelief. "How did you two get back here, then?" she asked, looking at Bismuth and Jet. The two gems exchanged a look, Jet biting her lower lip before she spoke. "I guess she fought back long enough to bubble us too. Not that we deserved it." She muttered bitterly.

Pearl looked from one gem to the other, rubbing her temples before she spoke again. "She…never came back?" Everyone exchanged a look before Steven spoke, looking at Pearl sadly and putting a hand on hers as Garnet spoke.

"A few days ago, Amethyst and I were in the temple heart checking up on the bubbled gems, and we noticed new bubbles that we hadn't seen before. They were a bright blue, so we were all confused because none of our bubbles are blue. When we got closer, we realized that one of the gemstones were yours. Well, yours, B9's, and Jet's. They told us what had been going on in the zoo and on Homeworld, so we assumed Freshwater had bubbled the gems. We….never saw Freshwater's gemstone." The fusion said, giving Pearl's shoulder a small squeeze. "I'm sorry."

For a few moments, everyone's eyes were on Pearl, waiting for the gem's reaction. "If yit makes you feel any better, White has probably put her out of her misery by now." B9 said as Pearl stoking Steven's hair. "Bismuth!" Jet said, looking at the gem in shock. "What?" B9 asked, confused. "It's true! You think a gem can walk away from White Diamond unscathed after disobeying an order from her?"

"Well, no, but you shouldn't say it!" Jet snapped.

Pearl ignored the two gems arguing as she walked to the temple door in a daze, retreating to her room. It felt so surreal to be back on Earth. Not just surreal, it felt _wrong._ Sinking to her knees, a wave of anxiety washed over her.

"Freshwater, you idiot." She whispered as tears welled in her eyes and a sob erupted from her throat. She couldn't go through this grief. Not again.


	50. It Isn't Over Yet! (Announcement)

_**Important announcement: It's not Over Yet!**_

Hey guys! Thanks for making it this far. You really are a trooper! This was a ton of fun to write, but as I'm sure you can tell, this is not the end. This book is already getting long, so I'm deciding to cut it into a second part that will be starting very shortly! The next story will continue where this one left off, and is called "Worlds Apart; Together at Heart." While it sounds like this is going to be a more Freshwater and Pearl ship centric story, it will be extremely balanced. Keep in mind, I'm also trying to stay in step with canon, and we're currently on Crack the Whip if you're going by episode title. Bismuth hasn't even been introduced, nor has Jasper been bubbled. I mean we had a small _hint_ of Change Your Mind, and a tiny bit of A Single Pale Rose, but as a whole, we're hovering around after Crack the Whip and before Bismuth.

So yeah, we've got a good bit to get through, and I'll be taking my time to try to mix the story up while staying true to canon. So expect more Bismuth, Jet, and a good bit more of the main crew in this story. I'm excited, and I hope you are too!


End file.
